SAO: Beauty of the Nightmare
by TheInsightfulEmissary
Summary: Sword Art Online trapped 10,000 people within its confines. Forced to fight to escape, players take up the sword in order to survive. Despite the circumstances, the men and women trapped in this game continue to live their lives despite the desperate battle to survive. Sometimes, it takes the worst situations to bring out the best in people. This is more than just a fight...
1. Prologue

**A/N**

 **My name (pen-name is probably accurate) is TheInsightfulEmissary, and I hope I can be a great time killer for you in the days to come. This is pretty much my first serious story ever, and I would very much appreciate criticism, good or bad. Since I'm just starting out, I need all the help I can get. This is the prologue chapter to my story, and starts immediately after the end of the first floor's boss. Anyway, thank you for taking time to read this, and I'll hopefully see you at the bottom. Just in case though...**

 **I do not own Sword Art Online in its parts, as well as its entirety.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 1**

 **December 4, 2022, Second Floor 19:30**

I was fairly familiar with the layout of the second floor, it being a popular meeting place for front liners during the beta. The first sight that assaulted my eyes was the endless string of mountains trailing along the bottom of a pink-orange sky, speckled with the flight of birds into the distance. For a moment, all my problems had vanished. Only for a moment, though. I absent-mindedly began making my way towards the city of Urbus, which was tucked away safely between two great mountains a good distance away.

 _How could you let him die?_ This one question was still echoing through my mind. Only a month into the death game and I had already played a part in the deaths of two players. I didn't hold any grudge towards Kibaou; he had just lost a friend, and a leader… no, not just him, we all lost Diabel.

I was momentarily brought out of my thoughts by a rustling in one of the nearby bushes. I slowly and quietly drew my Anneal Blade and began inching my way towards the sound. Steeling my nerve, I decided to use a simple stabbing skill called [Linear]. It would do minimal damage to my opponent, but had just enough knockback to reveal the stalker and stun him. As I pulled my sword back, it adopted a feint green glow and power started pulsating through my blade. As soon as my Anneal Blade was as far back as allowed, it shot forward with the speed of a bullet. I felt the accompaniment of flesh on the end of my blade and the shrill cry of an animal. I watched as the Argon Rabbit leapt backwards out of the brush and scurried away from me. I let out the breath that I didn't know I was holding, and felt the relief from stress on my teeth, immediately signifying that my jaws had been flush together during the encounter. "Heh, I'm really out of it, aren't I," I said to no one in particular. I had been tense ever since I gave my Anneal Blade one last look, before placing it back in its sheath on my back. That blade, my silent companion, it had helped me when I needed help the most. However, my thoughts soon wandered back to _him_ , the life lost because of this blade. The second friend I had found in this new life, Coper.

Coper was a beta tester, like me. I realized we had many similarities, in fact. I learned that he was into computers in the other world, like me. He was also a solo player, and chose to come to Horunka in order to obtain the Anneal blade, which was my plan from the beginning. I had felt something I never thought I'd feel in a game of death: companionship. We had both undertaken the quest, [Secret Medicine of The Forest], to get the quest reward, the Anneal Blade. It was Coper who had suggested we work together until the two of us had received the Anneal Blade. I had whole-heartedly agreed; this way was much safer than my original plan of soloing the quest. So together, we began to strike down the Nepents one by one, looking for the Nepent with a flower on its head. After at least three hours of destroying more than a hundred Nepents, I found the Nepent that had the flower on its head, and killed it, obtaining the quest item, [Little Nepent's Ovule]. I was about to tell Coper of my success when I saw him slash at a Nepent with a fruit on its head. I immediately knew the after effects of this "mistake". The Nepents would swarm around us and we would have a very low chance of surviving the assault. I quickly turned my head back and forth awaiting the arrival of the cavalry, which was making itself known with the appearance of vines in every direction. However, I realized that I had made a misconception when I called this situation a "mistake"; Coper was nowhere to be found. I was stunned for a few seconds, constantly replaying the same truth in my head over and over: ' _I've been betrayed by my first friend.'_

A vine to the face quickly woke me up from my realization, and I soon found myself converting my feeling of shock and betrayal to power and anger. Raising my blade to the sky, I quickly brought it down upon the Nepent that previously knocked me back. More and more Nepents took the last one's place, and I soon found myself stuck in a pattern of dodging the maelstrom of vines and retaliating with a tornado of furious swipes of my sword. After about five minutes of this exchange, I noticed my health bar was at 45%. I needed an opening, but I was surrounded on all sides. Realizing the only realistic course of action, I steadied my breathing and moved into a crouch fast enough to dodge a vine headed for my face. As soon as I did this, I heard a screech from behind me, and with that I realized an added advantage to incorporate with my idea; the Nepents were capable of attacking the other, and that was all I needed to carve my way through. With a burst of determination, I channeled all of my fury into my blade in the form of [Slant]. My blade took on a dark purple light, and I let the power guide my sword through a diagonal cut across its chest, from top to bottom. I used my downward velocity to crouch on the ground once again. However, I followed that through with a circular spin on the ground, cutting all the surrounding enemies. I heard the satisfying sound of shattering glass, signifying that all of my surrounding enemies had been killed. All but the one in front of me, that is. I took this small window of opportunity to leap up off the ground, getting grazed by a dozen vines belonging to the newly arriving Nepents in the process. Once airborne, I planted my foot on the remaining Nepent's head, and kicked off before the new Nepents could have the chance to strike at me.

Once I had landed, I began to make my escape. The land ahead of me was clear of danger, so I sprinted in that direction. However, the Nepents had different plans for me, as one behind me managed to entangle my right leg with its vine. As I stumbled, I had chanced a look at my health bar, and saw that my health was sitting just under 25%. I landed on my knee, and immediately cut the vine. I jumped off my left foot, just in time to dodge what seemed to be the relentless flurry of whips. Even though I was grounded for a few seconds, that was still plenty of time for a few of the Nepents to block my initial route of escape. I rapidly took in my surroundings, and soon realized that it was near impossible to escape. ' _Wait a second, what is that!?'_ I had spotted a figure hiding in some nearby brush. _COPER!_ He was just behind the few Nepents that blocked the exit up ahead. He was waiting for me to drop the quest item. Gritting my teeth in frustration and resolve, I dashed towards the bushes he was hiding in. This was my last chance.

Normally, using the hiding skill would hide you from the sight of other players and monsters. However, thanks to my higher-level searching skill, I was just able to make out his figure. Two Nepents awaited me, attempting to end my life before I could reach my destination. The pain in my hands grew intensely as the grip on my sword hardened further. As I closed the distance between myself and the Nepents, I jumped sharply to the left in an effort to confuse them. It seemed to have worked, and thanks to my speed, the hundreds of Nepents behind me were at a safe distance away from me. I landed on the side of one of my enemies, and quickly initiated [Horizontal], creating a deep gash in its side. The sword skill didn't have enough power to kill it, but thanks to [Horizontal]'s extremely quick cooldown period, I was able to follow up my strike with a [Slant]. Once again, the light shattering of glass filled my ears, and no matter how many times I heard it through this battle, the sound was still most welcome. I spared the second Nepent no glance, and continued my run towards Coper.

The friction of my boots against the grass created a crushing sound as I came to a stop in front of Coper's hiding spot. For a second, I stood frozen, pondering on the decision I was about to make. I looked through the shrubbery once more, and I knew his eyes were locked with mine. Unable to cope with this silent stand-off any longer, I averted my gaze. It was then that all the fatigue caught up with me. Dizziness settled into my head. The shadow of the Nepents crept up upon me, signifying they were at most ten feet away. I had to do it now, or I would die. With one final push of vigor, I jumped over the bush Coper was hiding in and ran. Coper must not have known that Nepents were reliant on their sense of hearing and smell, making the hiding skill useless. I ran so far, senses almost blacked out, nothing else existing except for the sound of my panting and a terrified scream from behind me. I couldn't stop moving, my body wouldn't stop moving, not until I was far away from that place and those creatures…. No, it wasn't the creatures or the forest I was running from; I was running from death.

* * *

 **December 4, 2022, First Floor Boss Room 19:30**

"Ok everybody, listen up! My name's Kibaou, as most of you already know. Today, we lost a great man in the fight against the boss. It was all because of the greed of a dirty BEATER! However, we still accomplished our mission, and the second floor has opened up. Let me get to the point; I want to start a guild. We will be a massive force of strong players that will clear floor after floor, in addition to putting criminals to justice, especially that beater who stole all the good items and left Diabel to die! You all know the saying, 'there's safety in numbers,' and with my guild, this statement could never be truer. So, who wants to get out of this deathtrap as fast as possible? I say there's no time like the present to get started, and the sooner we start, the sooner we finish! Who's with me?!"

A loud cheer rang out through the boss room where Illfang the Kobold Lord once occupied. Of the forty members in the boss room, at least half of them were supporting Kibaou's ideas. While most of them were encouraged alone by the prospect of a large fighting force with a higher safety margin, a few people had found talk of the beater's punishment just as promising. Among the other half of the clearers who didn't show support of Kibaou's plan were Asuna and Agil, neither of whom trusted in Kibaou's "leadership skills."

"Well timed advice, Kirito," Asuna mused, "but I don't think I would have needed it for this case." Asuna clearly recalled the parting words of said solo player; ' _If you ever meet a guild you trust, don't hesitate to join them.'_ Asuna noticed that the tall man who saved them earlier, Agil if she recalled correctly, was making his way back to the first floor. She too had decided that it would be best to take her leave now as well. Deciding to check out the second floor, she slowly made her way up the stairs, the sound of Kibaou's speech and its resulting cheers reverberating off the walls of the boss room. She knew that Kibaou's temper, ego, and irrational behavior would most certainly threaten much of the population if his popularity continued to rise. "I guess when people are desperate, they'll look for any source of hope to put their trust in," she concluded.

Looking at the beauty of the second floor, along with knowing that she was one step closer to leaving this game, made Asuna's heart swell with pride. She was proud of herself for being able to contribute so much as a single effort to escaping this nightmare which she had once deemed hopeless. At the same time, she felt as if she were in control of her fate, that she could do something for herself and get results, especially outstanding results like these. Asuna felt powerful for the first time in her life.

* * *

 **December 4, 2022, First Floor Starting City 20:00**

Agil had finally arrived back at the starting city, and the sun was almost completely covered by the horizon, making him aware of his time consuming trek. Before heading to the bar he planned to meet his friends at, he decided to go home so he could prepare for the news he would have to give and, more importantly, so he could gather his bearings. On his way to his apartment, he passed by his place of business: a simple wooden stall off to the side of the still lively commons. This stall had given birth to many warriors during the month spent in the game. In fact, about one quarter of the players that showed up at the raid today were previous customers of his. To know that his hard work had made a significant effect on the floor boss, in addition to creating the foundation for the frontlines, he had never felt more elated. Thinking back, he also remembered the time where his hard work almost cost him his life, if it wasn't for his newfound friends.

Klein and Agil had become acquainted with one another early on in the death game. Agil had been struggling to fend off three Manthul Wolves in the plains far from the starting city. These wolves were known to drop higher quality items than ther beasts roaming the floor. However, unbeknownst to Agil, the wolf he attacked was the Alpha Manthul Wolf, and had the ability to call his pack. Luckily for him, Klein and his friends had been out grinding in the same area, and rapidly came to his aid. Together, they defeated the Alpha Wolf, along with its shabby two wolf backup. After that, Agil insisted that he buy the warriors drinks as thanks for the assist. At least once a week after the incident, Klein would make sure to visit Agil to trade information with him or just to offer a grinding session with his friends. After these exchanges and tons of competitive banter between the two, they became the best of friends.

 _'Being stuck in this death game hasn't stopped me from living my life. I can still do everything I could do in the real world in here. I guess I should be grateful in a way; being able to lead a different kind of life, where I live and grow through my own labors.'_

Agil felt his lips uncontrollably tug upwards into a smile. He was brought out of his reverie when he noticed the familiar scent of cinnamon and the calm chatter of other players sitting on the patio of the inn he lived in. He entered through the front door of the inn, and was immediately greeted by the sight of three of his regular customers.

"Iroh, Mistrigil, Al, what's up," Agil greeted.

"Yo, Agil! We were just passing by and thought we'd stop by and say hello. Thanks to all the equipment you gave us, we've jumped up three levels in one day" Al relayed cheerfully.

"You should have seen the kid, Agil. Squirt goes up three levels, and he thinks he can take on the world," Mistrigil added.

"Hey, I'm not a kid old man; I'm sixteen!"

"Well you sure don't act like it! And who're you callin' old man!?"

"I apologize for my two _lively_ teammates here," Iroh interrupted, "This is their special way of showing affection. Anyway, we heard that you went to go confront the first floor boss today, so we stopped by this amazing sweets shop in Horunka, and we decided to get you a cherry pie as a small token of our appreciation." Iroh then handed Agil the pie. The sweet aroma that the warm delicacy emitted reminded Agil of the hunger that had crept up on him during his treks to and from the boss room.

"Oh trust me, that wasn't all we got. Gramps over here had to eat about 20 cakes before he was satisfied. Even the kid could hold himself back!"

"Hey Mistrigil, this is the only world where an old timer like myself can eat as many sweets as he wants without fear of having a heart attack!"

"Well guys, looks like you've made quite the team here. I really appreciate your thoughtfulness and I'm glad I could be of service," Agil finished with a respectful bow, to which he received a wide smile from Al.

"You really don't give yourself enough credit Agil. You've been making heroes and kicking ass without even breaking a sweat. I think we wouldn't be anywhere if not for your dedication."

"Thanks Al, that really means a lot"

"Well, I think it's about time to head out, guys," Iroh announced, to which he received a nod from Al and Mistrigil.

"By the way, we are having the first raid's celebration party at the bar around the just down the street. You guys should show up, especially if you're considering helping out with the next floor boss"

"Ok Agil, thanks for the info. We'll try to make it in time for the celebration, but in case we don't," Mistrigil, along with Al and Iroh, opened their menus and tapped a few buttons, before a friend request screen popped up in front of Agil, "try not to be a stranger. After all, everybody in Aincrad needs all the connections they can get. It's one thing to brave a new world, but another all together to do it alone. Do us a favor and keep in touch Agil. Try not to work to hard, and again, thanks for all the help. We'll see ya!"

With that, the three made their way out of the inn, unaware of the healing effects their visit had on Agil. As he watched them walk off, Agil couldn't help but laugh. ' _Those guys sure do know how to live, don't they…'_ With that final thought, he made his way over to the clearer group's meeting place.

* * *

 **December 4, 2022, Second Floor 21:00**

 _'It sure is a good thing I over-leveled on the first floor. Otherwise, I'd be getting aggro from just about every monster I've passed.'_ Kirito was still making his way towards the main city on the second floor, the grand city of Urbus. Night had fallen over the mountainous terrain of the second floor a mere hour ago, and Kirito felt lucky that the Coat of Midnight was the last attack bonus from the boss. ' _Kayaba sure did a good job making the game realistic. He even nailed the cool temperature, no doubt a result from being in the mountains.'_ The leaves of the trees were constantly rustling from the steady breeze that was currently plaguing the forest. Despite knowing that he took a relatively safe path, Kirito couldn't help but tense up from the atmosphere he found himself in. However, Kirito collected himself as he came to a clearing at the end of his route. The first thing he noticed was his high vantage point, signifying he had reached the valley in which the city was situated. He saw an array of different buildings bathed in a yellow-orange glow, outlined by granite walks branching from the entrance of the city. The light emitted by the city's lamps weren't too bright, nor were they too dim. The glow was a calming one and Kirito instantly felt a warm feeling creep up into him. With a sigh of pure relief, he marched his way down the hillside with thoughts of warmth, food, and sleep occupying the forefront of his desires.

* * *

 **A/N**

 **Thanks once again for reading the first chapter of my story. It will be focused on Canon characters, but I assure that this story will be different from the original in many different ways. I originally planned to write the whole story out, but decided against it. This was because I needed feedback on my writing style so that I could improve accordingly. The second chapter is already written out, so I'll post it in about a week. That way I can stay ahead of the game... Feel free to PM me and reviews are appreciated.**

 **Thanks again for reading**


	2. Chapter 2: Spelunking for Trouble

**A/N: I'm back with Chapter 2 in tow. Hope you enjoy! I'll be back at the bottom!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Sword Art Online or any of its content.**

 _'thoughts'_

 **'System messages (i.e. time and date, quest updates, ect.)'**

* * *

The sun shined brilliantly through my inn room window as I opened my eyes. For a moment, I had no idea where I was, but my mind soon caught up and reminded me of the last evening's events. After chowing down on a sandwich and some soup the previous night, I immediately checked out an inn room and collapsed into bed. It wasn't very hard to sleep; the stress had taken a toll on both my body and mind. _I'm actually surprised I managed to wake up today!_

I silently stood up and walked towards the window. After moving the curtains out of the way, I saw the streets were full of people. Yesterday when I arrived, there weren't many people in Urbus, and the ones that were probably used the teleport gate in the Starting City to reach the city. _People are moving forward. I hope this morale boost is enough to power the front lines…_

After equipping my Coat of Midnight, Anneal Blade, gloves, and boots, I began to make my way into town, giving out morning greetings as I passed by some players chatting in the inn's foyer, to which they returned in kind. Stepping into the street, I finally had time to take in the town where I had spent much time in during the beta.

Urbus was a bit smaller than the Starting City on the first floor. No doubt Kayaba was aiming for this city to have the qualities of an old mountain village; most of the buildings were made of wood, and there seemed to be many lumberjack and miner NPCs leaving the area, which was odd considering that NPCs on the first floor didn't behave this way. Even in the beta, all the NPCs were restricted to a certain area, and even the more active ones couldn't travel very far. _Kayaba must have been holding out on some features of the game in the beta. Well I was planning on leveling anyway; I guess now I have a good place to start. There's bound to be something to do where they're headed._ So, I simply fell in line with the NPCs and followed them out the western exit of town.

* * *

Kirito was surprised to see how far they were from town. He was even more surprised when a hand clasped his shoulder in a firm grip, accompanied by the lively voice of an old friend. The person was wearing a black breastplate covering a portion of their red shirt, which was tucked in a pair of black pants.

"Kirito my man, how's it been? It's been a solid month since the last time we've seen each other!"

"K-Klein, is that you!" Klein was now walking alongside Kirito, both following the group of NPCs.

"Of course it is! I'm offended Kirito… Did you think that I'd die so quickly! I have the strongest resolve guiding me forward bro, I can't afford to die! There's a pizza waiting for me at home, and I will not abandon it so easily," Klein bellowed in response to his friend's surprise.

Kirito just looked on in silence. Klein still considered him a friend, and went as far as to call him his bro. _Why did I leave him by himself, me a veteran player? And he still treats me with so much kindness._ Kirito clenched his fists tightly and seemed to be studying the ground intently. _I've done something unforgivable to you Klein… But I'll be damned if I treat you like this any longer. The least I can do is return the kindness you show me in full. That's the least…_

"Hey Kirito, is something wrong? If this is a bad time-"

"No, no, nothing's wrong! Everything's fine Klein, but where's your friends!?" Kirito berated himself for sounding like a bullet train when he responded to Klein. However, he was silently grateful that the response Klein gave him steered the conversation away from the awkward social interactions that usually plagued his life.

"Oh, we all agreed that we needed a break from grinding, so we all went out to do what we wanted! I decided to check out the mobs that spawn around this region, but it looks like fate had other ideas, huh Kirito. But what are you doing following these NPCs around? I didn't think that you were that lonely… " Klein smirked when he saw Kirito's reaction.

"H-Hey, it's not like that! I just wanted to see where these workers are going. They're probably quest givers and I'm pretty sure that the quest rewards could be useful." Kirito calmed down when he thought that Klein accepted his defense. Kirito took a deep breath; what he was about to ask would completely annihilate his initial, self proclaimed status of, "strictly-solo."

"Speaking of quests," Kirito started, "would you like to join me on one?" At this moment, Kirito knew that there was no good way to ask somebody to go on a quest without sounding... _I tried…_

"Sure thing," responded an eager Klein. "I've been meaning to show you my new fighting ferocity at some point, _sensei_. This is the perfect opportunity to prove my mettle to my instructor."

Kirito stared at Klein for a moment. Klein continued to exert a friendly aura around him and for that, Kirito was grateful. A window popped up in front of him, labeled "Party Request". _[Would you like to join Klein's party?]_ Kirito eyed the blue checkmark button and the red "X" button apprehensively. _I know I've done this before, but it was because I had to. Now it's because I want to join a party…_ The screen dematerialized and Klein offered Kirito a fist bump.

"I hope you're ready to show me those new skills Klein. I'm curious to see how strong you are now," Kirito smirked.

"Alright, but it may be you begging for lessons when this is all over," Klein returned boastfully. And with that final exchange of words, the two continued to follow the NPCs in search of adventure.

* * *

 **December 5, 2022, Second Floor 08:00**

After about an hour's walk, the NPCs started to go their separate ways. The lumber jack group had begun to scatter near the trees, while the miners, still staying in a group, materialized their tools and made their way to a cave resting at the base of the mountain to the right. Klein was quick to notice this, and was instantly curious about the contents of the cave.

"Hey Kirito, how about we follow the miners. I'm feeling adventurous today, and besides, there were no caves on the first floor. It could be really fun exploring uncharted territory." Klein also took into account that caves would most likely offer more valuable rewards than the plains or forests littered amongst the first two floors.

"Sounds good, I was planning on going to check out cave anyway," Kirito remarked.

Kirito and Klein came to a halt behind the six miners upon reaching the cavern. As the miners set their tools down, they began donning their gear, while both Kirito and Klein studied the cave carefully. The entrance to the cave was rounded, signifying that it was manmade. However, as Kirito looked a bit deeper, he could see rock formations like stalagmites and stalactites that lead him to believe that during the digging, the miners stumbled upon a natural cavern. Once again, Kirito was awed by the amount of detail and planning put into this game. A quick glance towards Klein proved that he was just as captivated as Kirito.

"Would you two swordsmen like to come with us? We could really use your help," requested one of the miners. He was designed as a man probably in his forties with black hair and a bushy black mustache. He was wearing a tan long sleeve button up shirt partly covered by his bright blue overalls, his head adorned with a mining helmet. Despite his scruffy appearance, he seemed like a trustworthy man in Kirito's opinion. Kirito looked Klein in the eyes for the go-ahead. Klein nodded, giving Kirito his silent approval.

"Yes sir. We'll do whatever we can to help," Kirito firmly stated.

"Ah, I'm glad to hear it. I should probably explain the mine to you fellows, then. We started working on this tunnel a few months ago, in hopes of bringing resources back to our home town for industry and trading. However, two week ago, we realized that a larger cavern already existed within the cave when we cleared the remaining stone out of the way. We sent a few of our men inside the cave to explore its worth. They managed to find a special ore called Exthros, very rare and very useful. However, as they continued deeper into the cave, they were unable to pass due to strong creatures blocking their way. So, they were forced to return back to base and report their findings. We believe that this cave contains even more Exthros, among other things. With you two swordsmen by our side, we will be safe from these beasts while we extract materials from the cavern. What do you say swordsmen? We will reward you greatly if you help us, but if you wish to change your minds, we understand."

A screen popped up in front of Klein, reading, _[Would you like to assist the miners during their expedition through the cave?]_. Klein accepted, causing another window to pop up in front of him. **You've undertaken the quest, The Qualms of A Miner. Items have been added to your party's inventory.**

"We've given you two mining helmets, along with 50 meters rope and a lamp for each of you. When we enter the cave, it would be best for the two of you to stick close to us. It's dangerous to wander off in one of these caves without the proper expertise. Oh, and by the way, the name's Oliver. It's a pleasure to work with you. If there are any other preparations you need to make, now's the time. We'll be waiting here when you're ready."

"I think we're ready, right Klein," Kirito asked.

"As long as you're not scared of the dark Kirito, I think we'll be fine," Klein snickered at the glare Kirito gave him. _Well, at least he's opening up…_

"Alrighty, I guess it's time to head inside. Remember, stay close to the group and keep your attention everywhere. There's no room for mistake once we're inside," the NPC known as Oliver warned.

"Alright men, we need a good find today if we want to feed our families. I'm expecting good work out there today. We have no time to waste! Is everybody geared up!?" In response to Oliver's question, a resounding, "Yes sir," filled the air.

"Very well then. Let's go!"

* * *

Klein now understood the danger in this quest. He and Kirito were in the lead, the cave only being big enough for two people to comfortably stand side by side. Trailing them were the six miners, organized into rows due to the tight quarters they found themselves in. In fact, the size of the cave was one of the dangers in this quest. If faced with a threat in the front there would be no escape, and they'd be forced to tackle it head on, while a sneak attack from the back would probably result in the quest ending in failure. As well as size, the darkness surrounding them was enough to send Klein's instincts on edge, despite the lanterns' best efforts to keep the tunnel lighted. He had to be ready for anything in order to accomplish the quest safely, but with the frightening ambience surrounding him, he knew he'd have to quell his nerve and focus on his surroundings. Klein observed Kirito, and noticed that despite the chilling nature of their setting, he seemed to be relatively calm. He wasn't surprised; he concluded that being solo for most of the game had hardened Kirito tremendously. His own habits forced him to look fear in the eye every day, and alone at that. Kirito had become stronger since their last meeting. But so was he…

 _It's funny, really. Being stuck in a place where death is a stroll away can really change people. Just a month ago I was living life without a care. I had a job and plenty of friends. The times I would go out would be for business or for fun, trying to enjoy life while I could. Now look at me; I'm fighting for my life every day, and the majority of my time spent with friends is comprised of training and survival. Protecting myself and the ones I care about is all that matters now. I guess that must be the infamous mindset of a warrior._

Klein was brought out of his thoughts by a nudge from Kirito. "Hey Klein, do you hear that," Kirito whispered. Klein immediately focused his thoughts and listened. He heard a loud, steady sound coming from a distance away. It reminded Klein of the low hum of an airplane during flight.

"Yeah, it's not too far away from the sound of it," Klein whispered back.

After roughly ten more minutes of walking, and about 20 stumbles from Klein that resulted with both he and Kirito on the floor, they finally came upon the source of the sound. The cave's walls had receded, revealing a large, spacious area about three times the size of the boss room for the first floor, with one-third of this area taken up by a spring being fed by a large waterfall. Among the jagged rocks and the continuous pommel of water, lie a dark red glow in the darkness.

"Ah, there it is. That's Exthros, the ore we've came to collect. You can tell by the color and the intensity of the glow," Oliver pointed out.

"But I thought there were monsters guarding the ore? I'm sure they're around here somewhere!" Klein immediately began scrutinizing his surroundings, hoping to gain some sort of information on the whereabouts of the monsters the miners had warned them about.

 _Klein's right, the quest has been too easy… There's something we're missing. It's still too dark to see in here; the lamps have a lighting radius of barely 20 feet. I guess all we can do is- WAIT, WHAT'S THAT NOISE!_

Kirito immediately jumped to the right, noticing Klein had also retreated from his earlier position. Looking back to where they had previously stood, Kirito noticed a pillar of spider web jutting from the assumed ceiling, glistening from the light of Klein's lamp. The miners had seemed to have retreated back to the tunnel in the seconds after the attack. Kirito could see the feint glow of the miners' lanterns inside the tunnel they had taken to get here. He looked back to Klein, who nodded in response. Slowly, Klein put down his lantern, creating a resounding *TINK* throughout the cave. Klein jumped out of the way once again, predicting that the spider relied on its sense of hearing to figure the position of its prey in the dark. He was right, as another column of web came raining down from the ceiling, extinguishing the primary source of light in the cave. Klein knew that they needed some way to fight back, but since the spider was shrouded in darkness and presumably at a higher altitude, Klein couldn't help but wonder how they'd accomplish such a task. A light somehow flickered into existence, and Klein remembered that there was a lantern in both of their inventories. Kirito then drew his Anneal Blade, and following suit, Klein drew his sword, a simple katana dropped from a mob on the first floor. There was no turning back now.

Kirito started running deeper into the cave, with a shout of, "Let's go, Klein!" Webs began to appear behind them as Klein caught up to Kirito. It was just a matter of time before they were hit. As they got deeper, they began to notice more and more webs, and they looked duller than the webs that were meant to kill them a while back. Kirito smirked, and threw the lantern against the webs. The glass casing around the lantern's light shattered, and the room sparked to life from the resulting blaze. The older spider webs caught fire, and thanks to the sheer density of the silk, it would remain lit for a good while. The cavern was now bathed in light, the waterfall now visible and the Exthros glowing brilliantly among the dancing fire and charred web particles floating around. There weren't many rocks protruding from the ground as previously thought by Kirito, and Klein felt his chest relax just a bit from the departure of the dark atmosphere. With the darkness gone, both he and Kirito could see a large black patch in the corner of the room, a shadow no doubt. Looking up into the network of flaming webs above him, Kirito saw the owner of the shadow: a giant black spider with orange stripes going down its sides, with legs a length of at least 20 feet. The spider screeched as it was assailed by the ever growing inferno trailing its home, and beside it appeared three health bars. The boss was quaking in pain, and eventually it dived to the ground, landing ungracefully on its back. Above its sprawled out body, the name of the boss was displayed: "The Poison Fang."

* * *

The Poison Fang was lying on its back, flailing its eight legs around and screeching in pain. The boss had lost about 15% of its first health bar, and Klein was silently grateful for the little advantage it gave them. Klein caught eye of Kirito charging the boss in an attempt to exploit its current state of vulnerability. Klein readied his katana and followed Kirito in hope of delivering a critical blow to the spider's underbelly. Unfortunately, just as they were about to reach the spider, they were reminded that this was a game by the impossible recovery of the spider. Moving all eight of its legs back towards the ground in what seemed to be an impossible feat of flexibility, it pumped energy through its body and quickly thrust its legs skyward with enough force to send it airborne, while simultaneously ejecting a string of web to the closest wall in the cavern. The Poison Fang then gained a foot hold on the thick silk began climbing it until it was dangling safely just above the ground; it did all this in around five seconds flat. Kirito refused to allow his stupor to stop him from taking advantage of the current situation and charged the spider, while charging up the sword skill Sonic Leap. Kirito's sword became an aquamarine color as he leapt through the air and with a rapid swing sliced the spider's stomach in a downwards strike, creating a red gash along the spider's belly. The force of the blow was strong enough to make the spider lose its footing on the web and fall. However, this time it landed on its legs, and with a menacing screech, readied itself to dish out a painful assault.

Kirito's use of the Sonic Leap sword skill allowed him to quickly move out of The Poison Fang's range… or so he thought. The boss's incredible speed closed the gap between itself and Kirito in a little over a second, leaving Kirito barely any time to think. It raised its forelegs and quickly pummeled Kirito to the ground, draining 20% of Kirito's HP. _That's too powerful! I'm not gonna be able to survive much longer at this rate._ A look towards the boss's health bar indicated that only one-fourth of its fourth bar remained. _Even with my attack, the fire, and the fall damage it received, it should still have more HP than that. Its defense is pathetic! A few strong blows will end this thing for good!_ Kirito's thoughts were halted when the spider quickly turned around in time to fend off Klein's blade with its jaws, making Klein's attempt at a counteroffensive prove fruitless. Klein noticed his weapon's durability dropping exponentially, and quickly jumped backwards to avoid losing his weapon, which now sat at 17% durability. Unfortunately, Klein got little rest as the spider immediately lashed out with its long legs, aiming desperately to smash Klein in the ground as it did Kirito. Kirito had taken the valuable time Klein provided to get back on his feet and leapt away from the battle. Kirito was about to dash to Klein's aid, but the look that Klein gave him at that moment made Kirito stay still. _I hope you know what you're doing Klein…_

Klein was dodging the spider's consecutive attacks with little effort, thanks to the training he put himself through the month he'd been stuck in Sword Art Online. He had prepared a counterattack to deal with the spider, and all he needed now was to prepare his timing. The Poison Fang was making that simple, due to its rhythmical way of attacking. Taking one more deep breath, Klein let the flow of battle take control as the arachnid's forelegs came crashing down. He ran at the spider, his sword extended to impale it. As the spider prepared to meet the blade with its fangs, Klein pushed off his rear leg and folded it under his left leg as he slid under the spider's body, creating a deep gash with his katana. Upon reaching the rear end of the spider, Klein planted his left foot on the ground and sprung back up off the ground to deliver the sword skill Horizontal to The Poison Fang's unguarded backside.

"Switch!" Kirito yelled as he once again used Sonic Leap to exploit the boss's stunned state for another strike. His sword collided with the spider's tough back, but ultimately split the strong tissue in half, earning him another shriek from the arachnid.

The boss was now at 75% of its last health bar, and as such it immediately moved away from the two swordsmen that had beat it down. Turning around, it gave a battle cry as it prepared to charge at Klein and Kirito.

"Klein, we only one more hit on it together to defeat it. Its defense is miserable, so I'm sure that if we use our highest level sword skills, we can destroy it!" Kirito readied his sword for the clash he knew would come. His vision became tunneled on the spider as he channeled his power, directing it all to end the creature's life. He became aware of his surroundings once again as he heard a "THUD" come from right beside him.

"Kirito," Klein said in a hoarse whisper, "I can't move." Kirito noticed the small red scratch on Klein's shoulder, and his HUD held a small lightning bolt beside Klein's health bar. _Paralysis… damn it! I don't know if I can defeat the boss by myself. But I can't dodge or Klein will die! That means I'll have to face it head on!_

Kirito began running at the boss, his sword glowing a dirty yellow in preparation for the sword skill, Breaking Point. Seconds after, The Poison Fang darted forward with its jaws ready to claim another live or to defend against any attack. However, braking point would use the spider's defense against it. Breaking Point wasn't a sword skill that Kirito ever saw a point in using. Its capabilities were limited, and to top that off held a very steep price by lowering the durability of his sword on impact by 30%, and had a 5 second stun time. On the other hand, if used properly in a clash, the user of breaking point would be able to stun the opponent indefinitely, especially if that opponent was putting a lot of force into the attack. With the boss's amazing speed combined with the fact that its weapon was a part of its body, Kirito knew that Breaking Point was the best sword skill he could use.

The distance between the two powers became nothing in mere moments, and as the saffron-colored sword collided with the seemingly steel fangs, Klein was sure that the expression, "breaking the silence," was no longer fit to be a figure of speech. The "clang" that echoed through the cavern made pebbles fall from the ceiling along with the burning web fragments that had been like snowflakes throughout the battle. Klein hoped that the pebbles were just for effect, but kept silent to himself as to not jinx a cave collapse. The paralysis was starting to wear off, as he could now move his head towards Kirito's direction. A sudden intake of air along with the widening of his eyes indicated the level of awe he was experiencing. Kirito and the spider were locked in place, staring eye to eyes with each other. This continued for five seconds until Kirito played his last card.

* * *

I had lost 40% of my HP in the clash, while the spider only suffered a 25% decrease in health. However, Breaking Point's purpose was to stun the beast, not damage it. Thankfully, since the boss's attack was so powerful, its stun time would outlive my sword skill's five second cooldown period. Once my cooldown was up, I activated the sword skill, Cross Pivot. My sword took on a swirling orange and green aura. I made a 360 degree spin on my right foot rapidly, my sword trailing a green color as I did so. The spin delivered a horizontal slash at the spiders face. The skill wasn't finished yet, though, as my remaining acceleration was put into a second spin while my sword lost its green color. This time my Anneal Blade shined a sunset orange as my arm brought the sword higher into the air, and when I again faced the beast's eyes, I brought my sword down with the rest of my speed, pouring it into this final attack. The Poison Fang's health dropped 50%, and with its final bar gone, it shattered into pixels. I sheathed my Anneal Blade, impartial on my performance against the low level boss we had fought. Silence once again filled the rocky room as the continuing flurry of flaming silk danced in the air. To my displeasure, the silence was broken by a snide remark from Klein…

"Kirito, when we get out of here, do you think you could teach me the rest of your ballet skills please?"

"…"

* * *

 **December 5, 2022, Second Floor 10:00**

"Thank you for your help, swordsmen. Without you, we would never have made it to the ore. You have our deepest gratitude." Oliver and his men bowed in respect to both Kirito and Klein. As soon as this occurred, a popup window appeared in front of the two warriors.

" **Congratulations, you have completed the quest, The Qualms of A Miner. Rewards: 500 col, Exthros Ore** "

Upon closing the window, the miners returned to their work, filling their bags full of the precious stone.

"Well, Kirito, I guess it's time to head back," Klein noticed Kirito's thoughtful expression.

"I have a feeling that there's something we're missing here, Klein. I think that it's possible a second exit exists inside the cave, besides the one the miners made. Think about it for a second; so far, everything about this quest so far has been mostly realistic…"

"Oh yeah Kirito, a 1 ton spider seems very realistic" Klein replied sarcastically. Kirito frowned towards Klein.

"Anyway, there was a spider in the cave, as well as other monsters that were lurking around the cave. How did they get in if there was no entrance?"

"Kirito wait, you mentioned other monsters. I didn't see any other monsters."

"When I looked up at the spider, I saw two Simple Taurus stuck in its web, probably a snack it was saving for later." Kirito watched Klein's face contort in disgust at the idea of the spider indulging its hunger.

"Anyway, the last piece of evidence that I have suggesting that there's another exit is the fact that we received a quest item we haven't used: rope. There's a good chance that since the tunnel ends at this waterfall, the exit is probably up higher past the flaming spider webs."

"Well, I guess you've got me excited now. Darn you and your manipulation of my adventurous spirit," Klein continued to mutter things along the lines of "just killed a spider" and "stupid ballerina swordsman." Kirito knew that he wasn't really angry; he knew that he was really just trying to tease him.

"Well get the rope then. We can start at that ledge over there." Kirito pointed out a long protrusion sticking out of the rock wall about 15 meters off the ground. Hanging off the end of the ledge was burning silk from the spider's home. Apparently the burning wouldn't stop until they left the cave, after which would probably reset the quest.

Klein materialized the rope and threw one end of it towards the midsection of the ledge. The plan was for Kirito and Klein to toss the rope over the midsection of the ledge so that the rope would be dangling from both sides. Kirito would hold one end while Klein would climb up the other end, an impossible feat if not for a world determined by stats and numbers. Once Klein reaches the top, he'd pull Kirito up and proceed to the next ledge, if there was another in the first place. However, when the rope did meet the ledge, it immediately wrapped around it and tied itself into a knot.

"You're kidding me! They made it that easy to use a rope! Pffft… Well at least we won't have to spend as much time climbing up as we would have using you idea Kirito."

"Yeah, I guess so" Kirito began climbing the rope, and after about a minute or two of climbing, Kirito had finally reached the top of the ledge. He observed the flaming criss-cross pattern of webs that still glowed brightly in the dark cave. Looking up, he was still unable to see the ceiling through the fires above him. He then pinpointed the next ledge, and he knew the quest had been designed to harbor a secret exit. After all, who would waste time on such a large game designing ledge after ledge for no reason? "Ok Klein, you can come up now. It looks like there's plenty of enough room for the both of us." _Time to climb, I guess…_

* * *

 **December 5, 2022, Second Floor 11:00**

Kirito and Klein breathed in the crisp mountain air that met their departure from the dark cavern. Klein decided that it was about time to collapse on the plateau they now found themselves on, so he did just that, careless of the look Kirito gave him. After thirty minutes of climbing to get up here, Klein felt that he was entitled to at least have a quick rest. The plateau was expansive, as well as high in altitude, at least 200 meters from ground level. The sanded platform curved around a quarter of the mountain side, and Kirito once again had a splendid view of the second floor. He could see players fighting various mobs, as well as two other towns in the distance, both much smaller than Urbus. He had visited one of them in the beta, Athrall if he remembered correctly. It was a small town, and he vaguely remembered his time there. The town just didn't seem very rewarding to him at the time. As for the third town, he hadn't even known that it existed. _Oh well, I'm sure I'll have time to visit there later…_

"Hmm… What's that?" In the distance, Kirito spotted a small wooden chest with intricate designs adorning its fine structure. Klein didn't seem to care, still lying on his back with his eyes closed and body outstretched. Kirito approached the chest cautiously, examining it as if it would help to determine if it was a trap. "Klein, I may end up spawning some mobs here by accident," Klein opened his eyes to show Kirito that he was paying attention to him, "but I seriously doubt we were forced to climb our way up here just to be attacked by about a hundred monsters…"

"Hang on a second then, my katana's durability is pretty low. Just let me equip another sword first." With a few moves of his hand, Klein's katana disappeared in a glimmer of light, replaced by the slightly shorter basic sword, given to all players at the beginning of the game. "All right, ready. I hope this is worth it Kirito. It's like you go looking for trouble because of your impatience for it to just come to you." Kirito smirked at Klein's statement, realizing the truth in his words. "Well Klein, sometimes you have to take risks to get the rewards." And with that, Kirito opened the chest, and drew his Anneal Blade. Instead of the "hundred monsters" that Kirito assured Klein (and himself as well) wouldn't appear, Kirito was met by a popup window, titled "Treasure." "What's it say Kirito," Klein inquired. "It's a dagger type weapon." Kirito then opened up the weapon's description and read it aloud.

"The name of the dagger is Glorious Bandit. **'** **The Glorious Bandit was the legendary thief Fung Lee's weapon of choice. With the dagger by his side, he pillaged whole cities with ease, siphoning all the valuables from the cities and its people, until one day he was caught by the townspeople. He managed to escape and sought refuge in the mountain caves. However, a great tremor caused the cave's entrance to collapse, and he soon met his end here. It's said that his essence inhabits this dagger, guiding it to more treasures for the taking.'** " Kirito then looked at the dagger's stats, which were mostly average except for two stats he'd never seen before. "It says here that the dagger gives a 20% increase in col dropped by each monster, and 5% increase in the likelihood of obtaining a rare drop."

"Sounds like a pretty good find, huh Kirito."

"It is, but I've never felt really comfortable using a dagger. They're too light and have very poor reach. They may be great for increasing agility, but I like weapons with high attack power as well. What do you think Klein? You want the dagger?"

"Nah Kirito, you keep it. Daggers aren't my weapon of choice either. Plus, a dagger would make me look like a thief. I'm trying to aim for the look of an honorable samurai warrior, you know. Gotta keep looking noble, and that means using weapons that others can see clearly. You even have your own look going on, dressed up in all that black. You also have a reputation that comes with it. You know that people have started spreading the word 'beater' around, and you're the one they associate the word with the most."

"…"

Klein's facial expression and tone changed to one of seriousness, and his voice became lower as well. "My friend Agil told me about what happened on the first floor… Why'd you do it Kirito? You didn't have to blame yourself, and I'm sure that eventually the beta testers would have been forgotten. But now, you've decided to take the blame that you don't deserve-"

"I did deserve it Klein! They were right, beta testers left the regular players to die! Hell, I left you behind! Even if there was some player handbook, it was nothing compared to what could've been done if we just waited a few days to teach some of the regular players the ins and outs of the game. In turn, those players would teach other players, and the result would be a much lower death count than we have now. I took responsibility, because I know that prejudice is the last thing we need in this game right now!"

"And you decided that it would be better to single out yourself and take it all on your own… I know you had your reasons Kirito, but you can't be this reckless. I hope you can clear your name, buddy…"

"Don't worry Klein," Kirito smirked, "it'll be much easier to redeem one person than it would an entire group of people…"

"I guess you do have a point Kirito. Oh, and by the way, please tell me that there's a way to get down from here that doesn't involve going back into that deathtrap. I really don't want to go back in the cave, especially since the tunnels will be pitch-black and we're out of lanterns." Kirito materialized two blue cubes, and handed one to Klein. "Teleport crystals… You just call out the name of the capital city on a floor, and you'll instantly be transported there." Klein looked at the cube placed in his hand, and then back at Kirito. His eyes visibly widened, and Kirito had a good idea of what was coming next. "TELEPORT CRYSTALS! Kirito, these things are really expensive. Are you sure you want to use them now?" Klein didn't receive a direct answer, but instead… "Teleport Urbus!" Kirito's avatar disappeared in a flash of light, and Klein sighed, repeating the same words Kirito had said. He too was covered by a shining blue light, and whisked away from the mountainside.

* * *

Klein appeared in the now bustling town of Urbus, right beside the teleport gate for the rustic community. He saw the boy in black sitting down on one of the benches that usually surrounded a teleport gate. Klein walked over to him, noticing the time in the corner of his HUD. _12:00… I better get back to the guys and check up with them._ "Well it was fun Kirito, but I need to start heading back to check on my friends," Klein said this with a smile. "I'll be seeing you again pretty soon Kirito. You can expect to see us at the second floor boss battle." Kirito nodded towards Klein, who had began to turn towards the teleport gate to leave. _If it wasn't for Klein, I'd probably have died doing that quest… I should at least…ugh._ Kirito groaned, "Klein… Let me at least buy you lunch or something before you go. Don't samurais usually get treated by the townsfolk after completing their duty, anyway? Come on, there's this pretty good restaurant down the street that serves sandwiches that actually have chicken and beef in them. I know you have to be tired of eating those lousy boar chops from the first floor all the time. You can get something for your friends there too… No wait, I'm buying. Actually, if you want, invite your friends. I'll treat you all!" _Damn, am I rambling? Stupid social skills turning off when I need them most…_

"Sure Kirito, that sounds great. I can't pass up an opportunity at free food, now can I? Just let me message the guys quickly. You might just regret paying for the meal though…" Klein began typing on his keypad, and Kirito pondered on what he just said. _What have I just done? Not only am I gonna embarrass myself, but I'll be out of col when it's all through. Oh well, I guess that gives me a reason to use that dagger…_

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for reading. This chapter was a monster, with over 6,000 words in it alone. Anyway, you can expect chapter 3 next week. I've already written more than 3,000 words out on it, and you'll see a big change from canon coming up. After all, I did promise plenty of changes to come. I hope you liked this chapter; please review and tell me what you think. What do you like, what do you hate? Thank you again! (And for those that didn't read this...)**

 **OPEN TO CRITICISM! REVIEWS APPRECIATED! THANKS A LOT!**


	3. Winter Festivities

**A/N**

 **Hi everyone! Hope you like this chapter!**

* * *

 **December 19, 2022, Floor 3 Kana 19:00**

"Don't give it time to recover! Squad B, join Squad A at the front. Squads C and D, prepare to switch with A and B when I say!"

At least 15 people had joined the 20 at the front to assist in dealing damage. The boss had been stunned by the defensive squads a few moments earlier, and with barely any HP residing in its second to last health bar, it would only take a few more hits to initiate the final stage of the boss fight. A variety of shining colors from the many sword skills could have been seen from the sidelines if there was the luxury to watch the event, but this was a battle of life or death, and everybody was giving it their all.

"He's on his last health bar! Everybody get back!"

Asterios the Taurus King let out a powerful roar, lifting a few players who stood too close to the beast off their feet and hurdling towards the walls of the second floor's boss room. The Taurus King had gone into its rage, and began wildly swinging its hammer with frightening speed. However, that did not deter the leader of today's raid, Heathcliff, in the slightest. "Squad C, defend against the boss's attacks!" In less than half a second, Squad C had their shields raised in a protective border to contain the boss. "Squad B, do your best to deal damage to the boss!" Squad B, which in included Kirito, Asuna, and Klein, rushed in with great speed, leaping over Squad C as a blow from the boss was deflected. Asuna had gotten to the boss first, and chained the sword skill Linear, dealing the giant bull ten punctures to the chest in no time at all. That attack drained 5% from its last health bar, and soon after Asuna was replaced with air as the boss tried to swat the pest away with its free hand. Immediately after, Kirito had taken Asuna's previous place with the sword skill, Sonic Leap. Kirito delivered a skin splitting cut to the boss's chest, to which the boss responded to with a wail. The boss was getting cuts all over its legs, and although it tried to retaliate, the players were far too fast for it to land a solid blow. As if knowing that its resistance was futile, the boss gave an angry growl, and brought both hands to its hammer. It was no longer flinching from the damage being inflicted. Raising its hammer above its head, it brought it down like a lightning strike, causing a large quake to travel through the ground, knocking down the entirety of Squad C. Luckily, Squad B had already seen the attack coming and had retreated a distance away.

The Taurus King brought its foot up to stomp down the fallen defence squad, when suddenly Agil, a member of Squad A, managed to bring his battle axe up in time to meet the boss's foot, slowing it down enough for Kirito and Klein to cross blades under the boss's foot as well. Pressing against the flats of their swords, Kirito and Klein helped Agil the best that they could as the fallen squad members got to their feet and retreated. Taking advantage of the boss's predicament, Heathcliff rushed forward with his circular, blue Viking shield poised for an offensive strike. Leaping off the ground, Heathcliff thrust the face of his shield into the stomach of the beast which such strength that he toppled the boss over, making it land on its back. Kirito, Klein, and Agil all sighed as the pressure was taken off their bodies. _I can't believe that I was that close to death again… I stopped the boss's attack without thinking! I could've died!_ Kirito shook himself, desperately trying to focus on the boss battle. He raised his Anneal Blade, and focused on the battle cries being given all around him. He trailed the boss's side with the tip of his sword as the other players used a variety of sword skills on it. The boss's Hp was almost depleted. Kirito's sword lost contact with digital flesh as the boss was blown into polygons. He looked back to see Agil crouched down on the ground with his axe held out in front of him. Agil had dealt the Last Attack to the boss, and as soon as the huge, **"Congratulations,"** sign popped up, another window appeared in front of Agil. Agil closed the window, and fastened his axe to his back. He gave a nod to Kirito, and in return got a thumbs up back. The room was full of cheering, and the whole raid group gathered together, save for Kirito, who remained at the back. Kirito didn't appreciate the looks that were being thrown at him, some of distrust, others of disgust. Nobody had the mind to mess with him though; they weren't that stupid.

The raid party had decided earlier that after the boss battle, they'd celebrate their victory on the third floor's capital city, Kana as Kirito knew it. Just then, Heathcliff's smooth voice silenced all the talking and congratulations being thrown around. "Many of the players living on the first and second floor will be using the teleport gate to meet us at the third floor for the celebration. I say we march through the third floor terrain and meet them as victors do; marching strong through the troubles that surround us!" It was as if he second floor boss had been defeated all over again when the clearers started applauding and yelling out affirmative remarks at Heathcliff's idea. Heathcliff began walking towards the doors leading to the third floor followed by the rest of the raid group. Kirito too followed Heathcliff; he had already planned on walking to Kana anyway, and this made things much safer. Kirito walked up the stairs and followed the rest of the front liners out into the night.

* * *

The third floor was much like the first; it contained vast amounts of grassy plains harboring hilly terrain, and off to the corners of the floor laid small forests, which when entered seemed like their own world. The breeze was always nice on the third floor, and Kirito couldn't help but feel at ease during the walk. Kirito was far off to the back of the group, silently enjoying the peaceful atmosphere. Although some members of the raid party had formed small groups to chat in during the walk, most of the clearers just found contempt in the silence of it all.

They had seen the city of Kana as soon as they exited the boss room, and for 10 minutes they walked through the open landscape. The creatures here could get powerful, but due to the group's large numbers, the mobs roaming the area stayed a good distance away. As they approached the entrance to the city, the sound of applause and fireworks and cheering filled the air. The beautiful colors of the fireworks filled the starry night sky, and Kirito could now see why Kayaba had put fireworks into the game. The clearing group entered the city sporting raised fists and victory signs all around. The bright white lighting of the city had increased visibility ten-fold, and they could now see the hundreds of players lining the path through the city, as if the clearers were a parade of some sorts. The cheering players and NPCs alike ushered the raiding group to the center of town, where they were met with large wooden gazebos circling around the teleport gate in the middle of the commons. Inside the gazebos were tables filled with food and drink of all sorts. Outside the gazebo were more tables full of delicacies, along with many chairs and benches for sitting and eating. Even blankets were laid out on the ground, with pillows serving as seats. Kirito was amazed and touched at the same time. He knew that the frontliners were appreciated, but to this extent. And they still weren't done; furniture and plates and decorations were materialized and the clearers took the initiative to help set up the town. Agil could be seen hauling a couch on his shoulders, while Kirito himself was handed decorations to put up around the buildings and the gazebos. Kirito got a running start before jumping twenty feet in the air, flying past a few buildings effectively linking the streamers to either side. Other players were working together place more tables and chairs, and to Kirito's delight more food was brought out. It took twenty minutes for everything to get set up. The background music changed from a calming town atmosphere to an upbeat Irish reel. This was the upside to having towns with areas you can rent out. This feature is what made all of this capable, and Kirito marveled at the developers for it. All the players began to get their food and take seats, signaling the party was underway…

* * *

Kirito was sitting down on one of the blankets spread across the floor with a plate of warm food in front of him. He watched as the players told stories to one another, occasionally breaking out into laughter. He watched at least a dozen people dance to the tune that was playing in the background. He watched Kibaou and his group host a drinking contest, even though Kirito was pretty sure that there was no point in doing this… You could pretty much drink forever in this world, but at least everyone was having fun. All at once, three new players sat on the towel with him, with plates of food with them as well.

"What's up, Kirito?! Pretty amazing party, huh?" Klein greeted his friend before taking a swig of whatever drink was in his hand.

"If you're sitting with me, that must mean that you've given up on flirting for today," Kirito smirked as Klein grit his teeth in anger.

"Don't worry boss. Someday a girl will talk to you, I promise." Dynamm, one of the members of Klein's newly established guild, was used to his leader's bad luck with women. It wasn't that he was unlikeable. It was more like he went about it the wrong way. "Hey Kirito, it's been a while," Dynamm first met Kirito at a restaurant on the second floor, where Kirito kindly paid for the Fuurinkazan's meal.

"Hey Kirito, look at this!" Agil brought up his menu and Kirito looked over to see what was on it. "It's the Last Attack Bonus from the King Taurus, Taurus Gauntlets. It increases attack and defense by a longshot, and it gives a 3% chance for any attack to stun an enemy." Agil materialized the gloves sot that Kirito could get a better look at them.

"Wow Agil, those will last use at least 5 more floors by the looks of it," Kirito said.

"Kirito, Agil, you've got to try these rolls. One bite and you're in heaven, I swear it." After Klein's recommendation, he handed a roll to both of them and they took a bite. Klein could've swore that for a second their eyes rolled to the back of their head, but then the normally calm and reserved Kirito started wolfing down the rest of the roll. He wasn't the only one, as Agil's roll was already gone. "Klein, these are delicious. We have to find a way to take the rest of those rolls." After Agil's comment, Kirito closed his eyes in though, seriously thinking about taking the whole tray. However, he decided against; he preferred being called a beater rather than an eater.

A man in a red and white cloak walked up to Kirito, who immediately stood up when he noticed the presence. There, he saw the leader of today's raid, Heathcliff, wearing a friendly smile on his face. "Kirito-san, could we talk for a moment…?" Kirito was surprised that he was being talked to by one of the higher ups. Heathcliff had single handedly planned most of the raid, and now he wanted to speak with Kirito. Kirito could see some of the surprised looks from a few of the players close by. "Why does Heathcliff want to talk to that guy," and, "What is that beater playing at," were some of the remarks Kirito heard at the sudden turn of events. He was glad that most of the party was still oblivious to this, and decided that he would hear Heathcliff out. "Of course we can talk, but just call me Kirito, please." Heathcliff nodded and walked away from the celebration with Kirito. Once they were far away, Heathcliff spoke. "You did a great job during the raid today. You were barely touched by the boss, and you showed excellent skill with your sword. Have you ever used a sword before?- Ah, wait… How insensitive of me. Sorry to ask such a question." "No, it's fine. Just so you know, I used to do kendo in the real world, but I quit a few years back." Kirito remembered the day he refused to learn kendo under his grandfather anymore, the day his little sister took all the responsibility. He regretted making his little sister, Suguha, go through all that. Unbeknownst to any member of his family though, Kirito continued to practice kendo once in a while. He couldn't get over the feel of the sword in his hands, and realized that staying away was torturous to him. Under his own guidance, he practiced swordsmanship where nobody could find him, creating his own techniques and styles at his own pace, without his abusive grandfather's commands to get in his way. He smiled at this, thanking his actions for the experience it gave him. "Well, your skill certainly shows a good deal of practice. As such, I would like to offer you the position of vice commander in my guild, The Knights of the Blood Oath, if you are interested. What do you think?" Kirito didn't know what to think. This was a rare opportunity, being invited to a guild by one of the most capable players he ever met. However, he was afraid. The guilt that came after the deaths of Coper and Diabel still ate at him. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he knew that there would be more deaths, and they would be his fault. He would never be an effective leader with this mindset. _Heathcliff is a skilled and smart player; with my reputation, I could scare away people from his guild, which is counterproductive to getting out of here. Plus, I'm better off alone in the end. Klein and Agil are one thing, but a whole guild is a totally different story. I can't lead them, not to victory. I'll end this game the way I started it, and I'll become a stronger person in the process._ "I'm sorry Heathcliff, but I'm not interested. I doubt that I would be a positive influence on your guild. I need more time to get stronger myself; if I can barely take care of myself, how can I take care of the lives of hundreds. I really appreciate the offer, but I'm going to have to decline. I'm sorry." Kirito felt a familiar pang in his chest, the one he got when he turned his back on Klein. _It's better this way…_ "I'm sorry to hear that Kirito. I hope someday, you realize how strong you really are. Until then, I wish you good luck on your journey. I hope to see you become a stronger warrior than you already are. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get myself more members… Have a good night, Kirito-kun."

As Heathcliff walked away, the sounds of quiet footsteps and a familiar voice took Kirito's attention. "So he asked you too…" Kirito turned around to see a girl about his age with chestnut hair and bright hazel eyes. _Asuna…_ She was different from the first time he met her. Aside from the absence of her cloak, Asuna's shy and reclusive personality changed drastically. She now carried herself with pride and dignity, and Kirito remembered her active role during discussions in the second boss meeting. He was surprised then to see how much she had grown. She had seemed reliable, strong, and determined, the qualities that screamed success. This was the first time she approached him since the first boss battle, and Kirito was somewhat relieved to see that she would still communicate with him. He feared that his previous partner held ill will against his beater status.

"H-Hey Asuna. Long time, no see…" Asuna smiled at his poor attempt at greeting, and continued on with what she was saying.

"Heathcliff wanted you to be vice commander in his guild, didn't he? Well, did you accept?" _That's a bit nosy, Asuna… but there's no harm in telling you, I guess._

"No."

"I see… I didn't either." Kirito was surprised that Heathcliff had already asked Asuna to join his guild, but he wouldn't let it show. Asuna continued, "I told him that I didn't want to join his guild, because I'm already starting a guild of my own. It's still in the works, but I've met some people I really trust, and I know that if we team up, we can get back to the real world!" Kirito smiled; there it was again, her determination and courage leading her forward through all this chaos.

"That's amazing, Asuna. One minute, you don't know what a switch is, the next you're high class swordswoman clearing floors at the top. You'll make a really great guild leader." Asuna looked away, but Kirito could tell from her red face and the curve of her lips that the words had a really positive effect on her. "By the way Kirito… I was wondering… if you'd like to…join my guild when I get it set up?" Kirito didn't know what to say. He knew that he wasn't comfortable with joining a guild yet, and all the reasons that he refused Heathcliff for came back to him. _Asuna is getting very popular at the frontlines. We've only been through two boss fights and she seems to have a really good reputation with the other clearers. I'm not going to ruin it like this._

"Thanks for the offer Asuna, really. Right now though, I'm not really sure how I feel about guilds. I need time just to get my own self together Asuna, so I don't think I'm in any mindset to join a guild right now. Maybe in time, though, I'll be able to fix myself, and hopefully I'll take you up on your offer. But right now, I'm not comfortable with joining any guild. That's why I didn't join Heathcliff's guild, too. I'm sorry…" Kirito talked calmly and sincerely, in hopes of hurting Asuna's feelings as little as possible. Kirito hated making Heathcliff feel bad, but this was ten times worse to him. For a moment, a glimmer of sadness had shown in her eyes, but it was soon replaced by only a sad smile. "It's alright Kirito. Just know that you don't have to do everything on your own. Even if you don't want to join a guild, even if you're a beater, I know there are people that aren't afraid to help you. You can always come to me if you need any help. You are not alone." Kirito gave her a genuine smile. He was truly happy that she had so much sympathy for him, that she somehow understood things about himself that he couldn't. He knew his reasons for not joining a guild were borderline irrational, but something was holding him back, something he couldn't identify. But for once, someone didn't judge his actions or hate him, and once again Kirito didn't feel alone anymore. He knew it was his choice to go solo, but deep in his heart he was glad that people cared, something that had been missing for the first month of this death game. He closed his eyes for a moment, and in a whisper only she could have heard, he said two very important words: "Thank you. I'll make sure to return the favor." He didn't want the bliss he was feeling to end, but even so he opened his eyes to see- _WAIT, WHAT!? She was just here… where did she go!? How… where…_ Asuna was gone without a trace. Kirito stood there dumbfounded, completely unaware that Asuna was hiding behind a building in order to extinguish the blush that adorned her cheeks. _I hope she's alright… Of course she's alright, the city is a safe zone. I guess she had a really good reason to leave if she didn't say anything. Oh well, that gives me time to think of a way to repay her._ Kirito smiled, and walked back to the celebration, leaving a flustered Asuna to cool off in peace.

* * *

 **December 24, 2022, Floor 1 Starting City 18:00**

Heathcliff was walking down one of the various streets in the Starting City, filled to the brim with vendors selling their various wares to low-level passersby. He felt good getting out of his armor and into more loose and comfortable clothes. He wore a simple white t-shirt with a pair of black trousers. He still pondered his decision to have the raid group attack the third floor boss two days from now; he was almost certain that the raid group was strong enough to take it on, but he knew there was always a chance things wouldn't go as expected. Even so, he had to set the pace for the clearers, to boost morale and strengthen the frontlines, and to do that, they'd have to start taking down floor bosses sooner. Heathcliff's thoughts on the matter were banished from his head as his destination came into view. After passing the busy parts of the town, he came to a quieter setting, just beyond the residential district of the city. He was at the farthest outskirts of the city. This was one of the few places within the city that had grass growing with flowers, and an abundance of trees. In the center was a huge clay colored building in the shape of a rectangle, surrounded by perfectly straight rows of trees on all sides but the one with the entrance. It had about three stories from the look of it, and even featured a few separate guest house type buildings aside of it. All in all, it looked as if it had at least fifteen rooms within. _This will do nicely…yes, this is perfect._ Heathcliff's advance towards the building was stopped by a window popping up in front of him. _[In order to proceed further, you must have ownership of the establishment. Do you wish to purchase this piece of estate?]_ Heathcliff looked over the building's features and information, cringing at its large price. _At least it's on the first floor; if it were anywhere else, it would be at least double this price._ Despite the price high price of 850,000 col, Heathcliff was pleased with the building; it was already furnished, according to the features menu, which was a big plus. He hit the button that would accept the transaction and watched his col balance dwindle into the low thousands. _Oh well, at least I had some help with the funds…_ He smiled to himself as the deed materialized into his hand. He brought up his menu, and began typing a two word message to Agil. "It's time."

* * *

 **December 24, 2022, Floor 1 Starting City 19:00**

"Hello Heathcliff, it's been awhile since I've seen you around. How have the frontlines been? I hope you're not getting yourself hurt…" Sasha gave a pout at the man she had known since the start of the death game. Heathcliff had always made it a habit to visit Sasha and the children she cared for every time he finished a grinding session. He couldn't help but smile at Sasha; her boundless caring for everyone important to her made Heathcliff respect the young woman greatly.

"Don't worry Sasha, I'm perfectly capable of handling the front; besides, there are really strong people there that have my back when I'm in trouble. But that's enough about my life. How have you and the children been doing?"

"They're doing very well. Since schools don't exist in Aincrad, I've taken it upon myself to teach them what they need to know at their ages, and they seem to enjoy it. I think it's because it reminds them of the real world, and the familiar feeling it brings calms them down a lot. You really need to visit more often. The kids miss you a lot; they've been asking about you since you had decided to join the frontlines." Sasha had also missed Heathcliff as well, but she would never admit it. She felt that he was different from other players in this game; he was always a kind and happy man around her and the children, but at the same time, he had the fierce and calculative fighting spirit of a true soldier, or as Sasha liked to say, of a knight. She loved the fact that even with duties to the frontlines, and the startup of his guild, that he still made time to see her and the children, if only once and a while. She began to remember the first time she met Heathcliff, during the first week of the death game.

 **~FLASHBACK START~**

(Sasha's POV)

The orphanage had been up and running for at least a week, after countless hours spent on finding a purpose in this new world. I already had thirteen children under my watch, and together we lived in a cheap, yet spacious flat near the center of the city. It wasn't the best living situation, but I made it work. The children that I had adopted were very young, the oldest there having just turned eleven. However, it seemed they wanted to be of as much help as possible. They would offer to go get food from the vendors that would line the streets outside of our home, and sometimes the older children would let me rest while they watched the younger ones. The kids were bonding quickly, with each other, and with me.

One afternoon, I had sent Ren, a 6 year old boy, out to get some candy from a friend's store not too far from the orphanage, after insistent pleading on his part. So, I transferred some of the donated col I received to him so he could purchase the candy.

It had been thirty minutes since he had left the store, and there was still no sign of him. It was a maximum ten minute walk to get there and back. I knew it shouldn't have been taking him this long, and panic started to overwhelm my mind. I materialized a coat to go over my dress and told Mei, the oldest child, to watch the children. However, as I soon as I reached the door, I heard the voice of Ren yelling from outside the door. "I've finally found you Ms. Sasha!" I heard him yell. I opened the door, and was met with a toothless grin and a bag of candy. "Hey, wait mister!" Ren began running to the left, and I ran out after him. "Ren, where are you going!? Come back inside, it's not safe to wander around at night." He suddenly stopped running, but not because I had told him to. He stood in front of a man wearing a white cloak. He had grayish-black hair (probably dyed), piercing blue eyes, and a defined jawline. He had a tired smile on his face, and crouched down to eye level with Ren. "Yes, Ren."

"Thank you for helping me get home, sir…" Ren held out a piece of candy to the older man, which the man gladly took from him. "Are you okay, mister?" The man didn't respond, but instead collapsed on to the ground. I ran over to Ren, and looked at the fallen man, who seemed to be peacefully sleeping with a smile on his face. It was something about his smile… it seemed kind of silly in hindsight, but I shook him awake and let him sleep in one of the rooms in the orphanage, and it was all because of that smile. The smile he wore was a mixture of sadness and kindness. The very next day, after I scolded him for not getting the proper sleep, he left with a happier face, only to come back again at night with an inventory half full of food, some monster drops, others bought from the market. That day, we treated ourselves to a table full of food, all the while the man known as Heathcliff told us stories from his adventures in the game. Every day after that, he would come back and play with the children, or keep me company when I needed it. Sometimes he would watch them and tell me to go out wherever I wanted, saying that, and I quote, "If you spend all your time on others, you'll inevitably start neglecting yourself. I can't have that; you're one of the best people I know to talk to." He tried to write off his reasons for telling me to take a break as selfishness, but I knew that he was concerned. After he started leading the frontlines, he came around less often. I would hear rumors of Heathcliff, saying that he was a gifted leader and speaker, and had unreal battle sense. Never having fought a monster before, I wasn't sure what Heathcliff had to face when he went out grinding. I worried for him, but at the same time I was proud of the man who, for an unknown reason, collapsed in the street after a child offered him candy.

 **~FLASHBACK END~**

(Third Person POV)

Sasha was broken away from her recollections by the deep voice of Heathcliff.

"How about we go for a walk, Sasha?" Heathcliff asked. Everything was going as planned, and Heathcliff couldn't help but smile in anticipation. Sasha smiled back at Heathcliff and nodded. They both began walking down the sizable brick road, the sunset creating a serene effect on the town. "Hey, Sasha, why didn't you come to Kana for the frontlines celebration?"

"I didn't even hear about it until the next day. I wish I could've made it," Sasha said a bit guiltily, wishing she could have been there for his and the clearers achievement.

"That's not a problem. The next time we have one, I'll make sure to pick up you and the kids before it starts. I'm sure the kids will have lots of fun during the next one, and I know you will too…" Heathcliff noticed that it was 19:30, and decided that he'd give them a little more time to get things ready. "Speaking of parties, have you eaten yet?"

* * *

 **December 24, 2022, Floor 1 Starting City 20:00**

"Awwww, why do I have to close my eyes," Sasha whined. They had just finished eating a dinner of a lasagna-like entrée, and Sasha thanked the heavens that SAO was capable of imitating the taste as well as fullness one would get after eating such a meal. As soon as they had left though, Heathcliff asked her to close her eyes, and she couldn't help but wonder what he had in store for her.

"Come on Sasha, I want to make our last stop interesting. You have to close your eyes; otherwise I won't get to see my favorite sight in the best way. Please, Sasha…" Heathcliff mimicked the voice of one of the children at the end of his plea.

"Ugh, alright, but only because you're you…"

As Sasha closed her eyes, she felt Heathcliff's larger hand take hers as they continued to walk slowly down the quiet pathway. Sasha held onto Heathcliff's hand tightly, and he smiled knowing how much she had come to trust him since they had known each other. After about five minutes, the Heathcliff stopped walking, causing Sasha to halt as well. "Where are we Heathcliff? And for that matter, can I open my eyes yet?"

"We're at your orphanage, Sasha."

"Impossible Heathcliff, the orphanage is on the other side of the city," Sasha said as she began to open her eyes. She was greeted by the sight of lush green grass and an extravagant mansion occupying a chunk of the land they now stood on. "Come on Heathcliff, where are we. It's really beautiful. Is this part of a park or something?" Sasha took in the sight around her. The trees were plentiful and were meticulously planted. They were planted so that there was a row of trees parallel to each side of the building. The sunset caused the setting to look like something out of a fairytale, and Sasha was struck with wonder at the sight. "Ms. Sasha!" A group of kids came running out of the mansion towards their surprised caretaker with smiles on their faces. "Lynn, Mako, Jacob, what are you doing out here? Are the other kids here too?" Before Sasha could start a hunt for the other children, Heathcliff once again spoke up, but not before laughing with a grin that, to Sasha, seemed to challenge the brightness of the sun. "I told you Sasha," Heathcliff started to explain as a piece of paper materialized in his hand, "we're at the orphanage." Heathcliff handed Sasha the piece of paper, which held his claim to the property they now stood on. A window appeared in front of Sasha: _[Heathcliff has sent a gift to you. Do you accept?]_ "I know it's a bit early, but I wanted you and the children to spend tomorrow in a nicer home than what you have now. Merry Christmas, Sasha." Before she could say anything, at least 50 more people had came out of the structure, including the rest of the kids she looked after. "Merry Christmas, Sasha," they all cheered. Besides the children, many of the other people there were frontliners, among the Agil and Asuna, who had helped donate to the cause. Kirito had given Heathcliff a good sum of money as well, but said that he wouldn't be able to make it to the orphanage that day. Sasha was speechless. So many people cared about her and the children's' situation, and went as far as to purchase a new place for them to live, and one with such grandeur at that. "Come on Sasha, it's yours now," Heathcliff quietly said as he tentatively guided her hand towards the accept button. She didn't put up any kind of resistance; the only movement she made was in the upward curve of her lips, highlighting the tears of happiness that were leaking from her eyes. As soon as she hit accept, the name on the document changed the name Heathcliff, to her name, Sasha. "I think it's getting late now, Sasha. You might want to get the kids home now." Heathcliff smiled at her. Before anything else was done, Sasha leapt at him, pulling him in to a tight hug. A little surprised at first, he soon gave in, wrapping his arms around her. "Thank you, Heathcliff. Thank you." Tears were leaking from her eyes, and teasing "Awwwws" could be heard from the crowd. If anyone there had studied the event closely, they would of seen the brief flicker of guilt in Heathcliff's eyes, disappearing as quickly as it came. They broke apart, and made their way into the building hand in hand. The night was filled with laughter, happiness, and fun for all. _A great Christmas indeed,_ Heathcliff thought, as an unseen tear left his eye.

* * *

 **A/N**

 **I know that the story so far is going kinda slow, but I need to set up all of the characters before I move on in the plot. Like I've been saying, I'm planning on doing things for this story that will completely separate it from canon. Anyway, please review and tell me what you like about this story, and what you don't like. Any criticism is appreciated. Thanks for reading, and the next chapter is on its way!**


	4. Guild?

**A/N**

 **Enjoy. And please read the bottom.**

* * *

 **January, 3 2023, Floor 5 03:00**

Asuna was pretty impressed with herself. She had finally managed to gather a few people to join her up and coming guild. She remembered the day when she went to register her guild very well; it was an exciting moment for her, but also a very frightening one. She knew that once she accepted leadership of her new guild, she would be responsible for all the people involved. She had already filled out most of the information she needed to start her guild, but the guild still lacked a name, and without one, she would not be able to finish the process. She would have time for that later, though; she had already messaged all of her future members (via her friends list, whose existence was discovered by her nearly two weeks ago) to meet in the fields outside of the fifth floor's capital city, Welrock. She didn't want to stay on this here long; she never really liked this floor in the first place, but she had assumed that they would all be training up here, readying themselves for the next boss battle. Well, maybe not a certain blacksmith, but she wouldn't mind coming to Welrock.

The fifth floor was by far one of the more peculiar floors she had been to. While the layout and geography of the floor was mostly the same as all the previous floors, aside from the fact that trees and forested areas were very scarce, she observed from the three days she had been here that the weather patterns were very erratic. It didn't matter if the sky was bare of clouds and the sun was shining; give it half an hour and she wouldn't be surprised if the fifth floor became flooded. In fact, she believed that the designer had something like that in mind, judging by the floor's hilly terrain and varying altitudes. There was no time to dwell on that, though; she and her team had work to do.

Asuna's guild had only four members so far, including herself. When Asuna had met them, they had all shown great skill and potential in what they do, and she secretly felt honored that they would even consider joining her group. She internally laughed, wondering how she could've gone from being a reserved girl from a wealthy family to one of the most respected warriors of Aincrad. To think that she had the eye, as well as the responsibility, to appraise the skills of other players would have been unimaginable to her a few months ago. Now here she was, out in the fields of the fifth floor of a giant metal castle, prepared to get her group disciplined so that fighting monsters would be easier in the future. It was laughable, really.

"What are we doing here? I was kinda busy when you called, you know." A brown haired young man said in a rude, yet bored tone. He was dressed in a dusty brown overcoat and brown leather pants, looking something like an early detective. On his waist, a dagger hung securely to his belt, along with a pouch for the throwing picks he often used. His brown eyes held very little interest in this gathering, and Asuna briefly wondered why he'd even agreed to join her guild.

"Don't be so rude to leader. You should've expected meetings like this when you committed to the guild." This was said by the golden haired girl, her sapphire eyes sparkling with a quiet anger at the offender. She was dressed in combat attire, wearing a suit of sparkling silver armor with blue accents lining the sides and separate plates. Her blue and white cape flowed in the wind, giving her the appearance of a holy paladin.

Asuna sighed; she had accepted that it would take work to get her group in check, but with the task right in front of her, it made her rethink all of the plans she had came up with to deal with her guild members. "It's okay Julia, it's partially my fault for not setting ground rules earlier, although a little more respect from Kaname would be appreciated." The boy in question simply shrugged his shoulders, still carefree of the events going on around him.

Kaname and Julia were around Asuna's age, maybe just a year older. When Asuna had met Kaname and Julia, it had been immediately after the third floor's boss battle. She first approached Kaname, since he seemed to have been leaving quickly. She told him that he was a really good fighter, and gave him the opportunity to join her guild. He simply muttered an unenthused "sure" and left the boss room. After all, there was nothing to be done at that time, since guilds couldn't officially be started until the fifth floor. Julia, on the other hand, seemed more than happy to join Asuna's guild. You could see the brightness of her excitement in her eyes, yet she was able to keep it under control. Her politeness also caught Asuna off guard. She treated Asuna with the respect a hero returning from years of war would deserve. Julia was a shoe in for a spot in the guild. Her personality, along with her frightening skill with a sword and shield combo, would make her a great friend and a key ally in this game.

"Alright, Asuna! What fun do you have planned for our first guild meeting?" The lively voice of Lisbeth seemed to make the mood lighten up for Asuna, and she began with guild basics.

"Well, the main reason we're here today is so that we can really start to make a name for ourselves on the frontlines. I've seen you guys fight plenty of times before, and I've always been impressed by your skill. Julia, your ability to stand your ground against any monster fearlessly, with your own power to back you up, makes you among the strongest I've ever met in this game. Kaname, your movements and precision are the stuff of legend, although your attitude could use a little work," she added the last part under her breath, "and you, Liz. You've been my best friend since the start of this death game. You're really good with a mace, and you are the only blacksmith I've ever met with so much potential. If I didn't get you into our guild, I'd be a fool. You are all great at what you do, but now we're a guild, and we need to practice as one coherent unit. So today, we're going combat training!" Asuna wasn't normally praiseful, but she wanted her few guild members to know early on that she admired and respected them. Unfortunately, it appeared that one of her own guild mates didn't feel the same way. Asuna held herself back at the first comment, but she wouldn't be disrespected again. She needed to show that she was boss.

"I don't need training! I didn't join this guild so that I could waste my time relearning how to fight! I'm fine as I am!" As soon as Kaname said that, the tip of Asuna's rapier was positioned between his eyes, with her smirking a couple of feet in front of him. "Your reflexes are slow; you'd be dead if I'd been serious. Now, what were you saying about not needing training?" Lisbeth was applauding her friend's badass tactics, while Julia was more reserved, only allowing a small smile to grace her lips. "Bad reflexes, huh," Kaname grinned as his dagger pressed up against Asuna's throat. The truth was that despite Asuna's unnaturally rapid speed, Kaname had seen the blow coming, and had already positioned his dagger just as she got to him. "Looks like you're gonna have to do better than that, lea-." Kaname fell to the ground from an unnoticed leg sweep by Asuna. Thanks to his own amazing agility and dexterity though, he was able to catch himself with his hand and create distance between himself and Asuna. Asuna once again closed the distance between them and shot out her rapier at breakneck speed, knocking Kaname's dagger to the ground. "I won't tolerate this kind of behavior from you any longer Kaname! We are a guild; we work as one. This is a world where death is just around the corner. We can't afford to go alone in a place where we could so easily die! I want to help you escape this game, but with this attitude, I have no idea why you wanted to join a guild in the first place!" Asuna's tirade was followed by a long bout of silence.

"Asuna, may I team up with Kaname for the training please." This was one of the rare times Julia would use Asuna's name rather than leader. She was speaking as a friend, not as a subordinate. Asuna appreciated Julia for that, and gave a nod to her. Julia smiled back, and Lisbeth stood up and walked over to her best friend. "All right, _leader_ , so where are we going."

* * *

 **January, 3 2023, Floor 4 04:00**

"Oh man, it's so muddy out here. If I knew that I wouldn't have worn my good boots out here."

"Well blacksmith-san, I thought you'd be used to getting dirty by now. I mean, you work as a smith, one of the dirtiest jobs in the game…"

"Why you… Maybe I should knock some sense into your head with my mace. Maybe after being knocked out by my work, you'll come to admire it!"

"Enough Liz, Kaname! We're getting close, and if you're too loud, the whole forest will know we're here…" Asuna internally sighed. _At least they're interacting… If that's even a good thing…_

"Ugh, see if I ever make you a weapon…" Lisbeth grumbled. She wasn't really that offended, but she didn't want to walk in silence to the grinding spot. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and turned to see Julia smiling kindly at her, as if to liven up the atmosphere. _She really is a nice person,_ Lisbeth thought. Julia then walked ahead to join Asuna at the front. Lisbeth's thoughts on Julia were mixed; Lisbeth had seen Julia fight before, and her skill could make anyone jealous. In a way, Julia reminded Lisbeth of Heathcliff; they had very similar fighting styles, and in battle, Julia was calm and collected, somehow always knowing what to do in any situation. The aura she seemed to emit during battle was that of a hurricane; she had a calm center, while on the outside she was able to deal all sorts of damage. Outside of battle, she was a fairly social person, always seeming at ease no matter her she talked to. It seemed that she got along with any type of person, if her volunteering to go with Kaname meant anything.

 _Kaname._ He was an entirely different story. Lisbeth knew plenty about Kaname already. Besides the fact that he had a mouth that didn't know when to shut up, he was a highly skilled fighter as well. Although he didn't have the attack and defense power of Julia, he made up for it with his speed and cunning. He was able to quickly move in and out of enemy range in a matter of seconds, while dealing damage in the process. Among his fighting style, Lisbeth and Asuna had also learned from Argo that Kaname was an information broker, albeit a "third class one," in Argo's words; that was, after Argo had charged them 1000 col. Other than those details, Lisbeth didn't know much about the rude boy.

"Is that the place, leader?" Julia asked. Lisbeth face-palmed at Asuna's given title. Sure, it may have been appropriate, but Lisbeth still felt weird calling Asuna that. The first time had just been a joke, but she really didn't like Julia calling Asuna that. She wanted to be in a group where everybody supported one another, and they all saw each other as equal people, despite rank. She and Asuna had known each other ever since the start of the death game, and they had quickly become best friends. Lisbeth wanted to help her friend up to the top, but she'd much rather call her by name rather than by title. Lisbeth looked over to a semi-flustered Asuna and deduced that she wasn't fond of the name either.

"Julia, you don't have to call me leader. We're all friends here, so you should be able to call me by name. I'd actually prefer it that way," Asuna admitted, "and to answer your question, yes, that's where we're going."

"I wouldn't say "friends" is the right word to describe our relationship, _Asuna,_ " Kaname corrected, receiving a scowl by Asuna. Julia just looked at Kaname, before once again putting her eyes back on the break in the trees up ahead. Lisbeth, on the other hand, wouldn't take this from the very same person who not too long ago decided to join her friend's guild. "If you don't want to be here, just say something! What's your deal, anyway!? We're stuck in here just like you, and we're fighting to escape, just like you! Why do you have to be like this to us? What did we do to you?"

Everybody had stopped moving at Lisbeth's outburst, but not because of the outburst. All the noise had attracted six Red Garganta, and they were rapidly approaching. Red Garganta were ten foot tall apes with blood-red fur. They were somewhat difficult to defeat in combat, and most of the time required a group to defeat them. They heavily relied on attack, so the apes had no defensive capabilities. Even with two tanks in their group, Asuna knew that the chances were slim that they'd be able to take down the six apes with her currently disjointed guild. Two of the apes rushed forward looking to ram their bodies into the intruders of their home. Asuna quickly jumped away, hoping that the rest of her team would follow her lead. Kaname and Lisbeth did, Kaname putting in more distance than the latter due to his higher agility stat. However Julia didn't budge, instead raising her shield and positioning herself to take one of the apes head on.

* * *

I watched as the two apes closed in on Julia. Their size would make it harder for them to get a clean shot on us, that is, if they all try to attack together. I looked to my right, where Kaname and Lisbeth were. Kaname was gone, but Lisbeth was still a few feet away from Julia. _Kaname, you traitor!_ I had no time to be angry though.

"Liz, when the ape makes contact with Julia, I want you to hit it with a sword skill. Can you do that!?"

I was answered with a fiery purple glow coming from Liz's mace. She was using a chargable sword skill, meaning that as the charge time goes up, so does the damage output. However, while shouting out orders to deal with the first charging ape, I had neglected the second one. I was useless against its charge; I didn't have a sword skill that would allow my rapier to deal blunt damage, and even if I did, I don't think it'd be able to stop a monster like that. But I had to do something. Before I willed my feet to move, I saw a small trail of red light moving at a fast pace towards the second ape. With a loud groan, the second charging ape was brought down to the ground on its stomach, leaving the Julia-bound ape running ahead. There was a red gash on the fallen ape's legs, and atop of him was Kaname, jabbing his dagger into the ape's back. Meanwhile, a huge clang sound was heard as dust was flung into the air around Julia and Liz. I could barely make out there silhouettes, but I saw the shadowed outline of Liz leap forward, and in an instant, the dust was blown away by the sound of thunder.

Both of the Red Garganta were down on the ground, one still receiving damage from Kaname, the other stunned from Liz's heavy sword skill. Liz was no longer in the position to do any damage; she was frozen by the cooldown time for that art, which must've been pretty steep, considering it took out half of the monster's HP. Kaname, on the other hand, had taken out an eighth of the second ape, with the unfamiliar symbol of a blood droplet beside its health bar. I opted to help Kaname deal damage; after all, there was only so much he could do with a dagger. It only took me half a second to get in front of the beasts face as I began to chain Linear at it. Its HP dropped at an even higher rate now, but it was short lived as I saw Kaname get flung off the ape's back. His health was now at 85%, a lucky feat considering that Julia was knocked down to 90% even with her shield and high defense stat. I jumped back, the ape I was attacking reduced to half of its original health. The other four apes had arrived to defend their fallen comrades. Liz and Julia had both retreated from the downed ape, and we all regrouped about 20 feet away from the beasts.

I quickly analyzed the situation. One ape had less than half of its health left, an easy target to remove. The other injured ape was just a tad over the halfway point, but it was still steadily losing small amounts of health. I chalked it up to the strange blood symbol next to its health bar, and moved on to the other four members of their squad, all with full HP. They did pose a threat to us, but I was sure that our levels were high enough to keep us safe from death. As they approached us, I gave out my orders.

"Liz, equip your shield and come with me. We'll attack the injured one with more health, while Kaname and Julia attack the one with less health. Julia, I want you to be strictly defensive. Don't try to give out any damage, leave that to me and Kaname. Liz, the same goes for you. There are too many monsters to go all out offensive, so I need you to tank damage while Kaname and I deal it. Now let's go!" Surprisingly, I got a shout of "Yes, sir," from all of my guild mates, even Kaname.

I charged ahead of Liz towards our target, which was currently in front of the healthy apes. I quickly bridged the gap between the mob and I, careful not to go too fast so that Liz could keep up. I realized that the ape was prepared to punish my charge, and swung its arm out to intercept me. I swiftly kicked off the ground, leaping backwards as Liz thrust her shield out from under me, blocking the attack and stunning the ape. Immediately after landing, a leapt at the ape and activated my sword skill, Quadruple Pain. That was enough to take out the Red Garganta, and shining polygons filled the air. I noticed that Kaname and Julia had beaten their ape as well, and I couldn't help but smile through the circumstances. My happiness was short lived as I barely dodged a swing from the next ape that took the dead one's place. Liz got back in front of me and took the battering on her shield. Her health points were down to 80%. I readied my rapier to attack the gorilla assaulting Liz, but was forced to dodge an attack by another Red Garganta. It seemed that the creatures had evenly spread out, two fighting Kaname and Julia, and two fighting Liz and I.

Kaname was darting around the two apes that dared to challenge Julia and him. He had much more mobility than I did, since he used a weapon meant for slicing rather than stabbing. His efforts did little against them, dropping both the apes' health points down to 90%. Julia was a sight to see, constantly blocking attacks from both apes to keep Kaname safe. Liz was trying to do the same thing for me, but she didn't have quite as high defense as Julia.

"Liz, let's go help Kaname and Julia out! When I say, sprint towards them." I jumped back and readied my rapier. I charged at the one that had tried to attack me. When it punched at me, I used its arm as a platform and got up in its face. I spammed Linear on it, taking it down to 75% health, before using my foot to kick off of its head, sending me toward the gorilla Liz was handling. "Now, Liz!" She started running as I dealt out an airborne assault on the second Garganta. I used Quadruple Pain on it and then used my full speed to bypass Liz and attack the monkey Julia had her sights on. While I was occupied with the other enemies, it seemed that Kaname was able to inflict whatever status effect he had used on the dead Garganta. I made it to Julia and used her shoulder as a springboard, muttering a quick "Excuse me," before releasing my wrath upon the mob in front of me. Julia's target reached 60% health after my constant stabbing. Suddenly, it exploded into polygons, shaking me up enough to cause me to land on my face. "Ugh, what happened? Liz?" Liz was frozen in place with a cheeky grin on her face. She must've used a sword skill on the gorilla while I was midair. Meanwhile, Kaname seemed to be playing an extreme game of tag with the other ape they were fighting. His constant zig-zagging and jumping around made him seem like a mouse with a cat in pursuit. I pondered on whether I should leave him in that situation as punishment for earlier. I decided against it, seeing as my two earlier opponents were waking from their daze.

"Julia, help me finish off Kaname's Garganta!" She nodded in response and followed me at a medium pace, probably due to the weight she was hauling around. Her shield was much heavier that Liz's, and her sword didn't help much either. Too slow for my taste, we reached the monkey undetected. "Thank goodness you guys are here! I owe you one big time!" That was a strange thing for Kaname to say. It was completely out of character for him… or maybe not. I didn't really know him well enough to know his true personality. I was shaken out of my thoughts by a battle cry from Julia. Her shield glowed a bright pink as it was harshly shoved onto the ape's calves. It was brought onto the ground, bringing it to 40%. I used my Linear repeatedly until the ape shattered into polygons. I looked to the remaining two apes, which were making their way to a still frozen Liz. I would have to push my speed to reach her in time. Something glistened in the sunlight as it shot past my head. One of the apes grunted in pain and brought itself to the ground, resting on its unharmed knee. A throwing pick was sticking out of its thigh, its health now at 60%. Kaname rushed at the injured ape, his dagger once again glowing blood red. He attacked, doing 15% damage to the ape as well as adding the blood icon to its healthbar. _I really need to ask him about that sometime._

I was sprinting towards the other ape, which was still heading for Liz. I thanked the heavens that the gorilla was so slow as I reached Liz. "It's okay, Asuna, the freeze period is over! Let's finish this!" I gave her a victory sign before aiming at the kneecaps. If Kaname could cripple the gorilla with a simple throwing pick, my rapier surely could do the same. I stabbed its knee with a ferocious thrust, receiving a primal shout from the 10 foot primate. It became grounded, taking up the same position as the one Kaname was working on. Liz then started attacking the ape without sword skills, instead using the weight of her mace to smash her weapon down on the ape's foot. I, on the other hand, used my sword skill, Turbo Lancer, to finish the ape of. My sword was wrapped around by a blazing orange funnel, and with an amazing burst of power, I impaled the beast with my sword, the light from my sword skill flowing out the other side of the ape's body. It broke into a thousand glowing shards, leaving us with one more… until I looked around and saw Kaname and Julia finish it together with two separate sword skills.

"Asuna… Next time the guild meets up, I think we should just sit around in a circle and talk about our feelings. I don't think I was prepared to fight giant gorillas today."

"Even though this was your fault in the first place," I grumbled.

"Heh."

* * *

After all the fighting I decided to take the guild to my apartment on the fifth floor. The walk back was much better than the trip to the fourth floor. Kaname was acting much nicer since the fight; I had no idea what could've changed him since then. He'd apologized to Liz for his hostility… in his own way. And Liz responded… like Liz. It was the best they would do, so I didn't scold them.

I took Liz's advice to mind, although it was meant as a joke. We really didn't know much about each other. We needed to change that sometime, so I thought of arranging a small meeting where we'd simply talk about ourselves. It would hopefully help me open up to my guild mates, and them amongst themselves.

The training, although unplanned, was still pretty effective in my eyes. Kaname told me that the blood droplet symbol was a status effect known as "bleed." According to him, it's inflicted by attacking a weak point and drains HP steadily until it expires. He said that he used a sword skill that specifically boosts "bleed" duration and damage, and that's why the Red Garganta kept getting the status effect. I was embarrassed, me a praised raider not knowing something like a simple status effect, but I was glad I got to learn it.

When we finally reached my apartment and settled down, Julia and I made dinner using the groceries I had picked up a few days ago, leaving Liz and Kaname in the dining room. Julia was definitely very talented in many fields. She said she loved to cook in the real world. She had helped her mother in the kitchen since she was five, so she had a lot of experience. Liz had offered Julia to fix her shield… for half price. Huh, at the end of the day, she's still a businesswoman. I still had a lot of doubts about my guild. Could we really make it to the top? What's in store for us in the future? Will there even be an "us" in the future? No matter what, I would see to it that together we get all these problems solved so that the future will be clearer. I'd learn more about my guild members, especially Kaname. I needed to know more about him in order to understand his attitude with the guild. But for now, I would leave everything alone; Kaname sleeping on the couch, Lisbeth and Julia telling stories from their childhood; everybody was strangely at ease with each other, and it was perfect, even if it would only last a moment. Me… I just watched the sunset from my window, a beautiful ending to the day, and a constant reminder of tomorrow. The name of our guild suddenly made itself known in my head. _Radiant Horizon…._

* * *

 **A/N**

 **I'm disappointed with this chapter. I feel like I didn't do as good as I could've with it, but I'm at a loss. I really do need advice to help with this story. I also have a few questions if you don't mind answering.**

 **1.) Are my fight scenes good or bad? What could I do to improve?**

 **2.) Are my characters developing properly?**

 **3.) Is the pacing too slow, too fast?**

 **4.) Are my chapters too long?**

 **I also might've made a mistake with the story title and description. The description of the story doesn't exactly explain its content, but I still don't want to give so much away. Should I change the description to better fit the overall plot of the story. Is my title good, or should I change it too? Grammar checks are helpful as well.**

 **I hope I'm not asking to much, but I'd really appreciate reviews. It would help me tons. Anyway, thanks for reading.**


	5. New Horizons

**A/N**

 **Here's chapter five. Hope you enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Sword Art Online or any of its characters.**

* * *

 **January 5, 2023, Second Floor 19:00**

The sunset had always painted a beautiful picture with the wide mountain range of the second floor. The green of the pine trees, the browns of the dirt and wood, along with the bright pink-orange hue of the drowsy sun made for a dazzling display of beauty without a doubt. Cool breezes were flowing through the mountainsides like water, and one would get confused at the cold temperature of the wind when shown the warm scene in the sky. The forests and open fields had their own charm to them. The tranquil feeling anybody would get when traversing the mountainous floor would put you in a state of calm that wouldn't have been thought possible in a death game. Well, almost anybody, for if you were at the small green plains that made the base of the tallest mountain on the floor, you would be spectator to a fight between a beast and a boy, or more accurately, The Black Swordsman.

* * *

"HIYAAA," Kirito exclaimed, inflicting a deep wound on the angered field boss. Kirito's health sat at 75%, which didn't bother the swordsman much; he was used to it being much lower. He sidestepped as the boss, a large wolf with soot black fur, lunged forward at him. The beast was quick, that was for sure. However, the boss didn't have much longer to live as it sat on the edge of reaching its last health bar. Kirito wanted to end this quickly; he had already spent ten minutes on this boss, and combined with his nonstop hours of grinding today, he was starving. Kirito had to use all his discipline to remember that the wolf was an enemy, not a canine steak. He didn't have the time to dwell on his ever-growing hunger as the wolf once again lunged at him, teeth laced with killing intent hurling straight at him.

Kirito sprung up from the ground, just enough to feel the wolf's thick fur graze against his boots. He didn't have time to make a solid blow with his Anneal Blade just yet, but from continuous analysis of the boss's movement, he knew he'd have his chance when the boss halted its movement. That split-second of vulnerability was what Kirito was waiting for as he felt the comforting presence of dirt under his feet. And then he saw it; the muscles in the wolf's forelegs tensed as it pressed in opposition to the direction it was headed. Kirito dashed forward and jammed its sword into the creature's thigh. He dislodged his blade form the beast's torn muscle as it collapsed on its hind legs, howling in pain as its second health bar disappeared, leaving 80% in its final lifeline.

What Kirito thought was howl of pain served more than one purpose. Besides venting out its pain vocally, it also attracted more of its pack. _This again… come on._ Kirito had already fought the boss's extras at the start of the battle, easily dispatching them all within the first minute. It was just another time killer to him, depriving him of his precious dinner time. The newcomer group of seven wolves made a semicircle around Kirito and the boss, effectively trapping him. Instead of waiting for the weaker wolves to attack him, Kirito ran forward to the nearest wolf, the one on his immediate right. Expecting the other wolves to attack him, he activated the sword skill, [Sonic Leap], in order to both finish his target quickly, as well as evade most, if not all, of the wolves' attacks. Kirito felt the accommodating rush of wind around him as he slashed the wolf across its face, before it shattered into polygons. He spun around in time to watch all the wolves leaping at the empty space he had once occupied; all except for one, that is.

The field boss had recovered from its injury, and with a speed that put the rest of its pack to shame, it pounced at Kirito. With little time to react, Kirito ran at the beast in hopes of ending its life at the price of some of his HP. There wasn't even an inch of space between the two as Kirito plunged his sword into the boss's chest, effectively reducing its HP to nothing. However, he did not come out unscathed; the beast had managed to lodge its huge claws in his left arm, rendering it useless for the rest of the battle. As the boss was engulfed in white light, Kirito felt the pressure in his left arm disappear, replaced by a weight that he knew couldn't be lifted. His arm slung down to his side, limp and useless as Kirito eyed his HP warily. It was at 65%, and he was affected with the bleed status, slowly draining his health bit by bit. He had six wolves to go, but even with his dead arm throwing him off, he didn't regard them as much of a challenge. He wouldn't give them time to reorganize themselves as he sped at the wolf closest to him. A wolf jumped at him from his right, and he nonchalantly stuck it down just as quickly as it came. He was glad that it was the second floor; even though the boss was far too high in level for this floor, it seemed that the mobs were just as weak as ever. Kirito readied his final assault, thoughts of food empowering him immensely. The wolves stood absolutely no chance.

* * *

 **January 5, 2023, Fifth Floor, Welrock 19:00**

"So, just to recap, I'll explain the key points one more time: In three days, we will all meet back here in Welrock to commence the boss raid. The dungeon is a host to many strong mobs, so we will need tanks to take the lead and to cover our backs. Once we begin the actual attack on the boss, tanks will not be very necessary. The boss is speed-based and goes by the name, The Rabid Rabbit," a few chuckles were heard, directed at the poor naming of the rabbit. Heathcliff continued, "As the boss is primarily a speed type, we won't have the need for many tanks; instead, we'll need to focus on reducing the boss's mobility. Anything else that needs explaining?" The room was silent to Heathcliff's question. "Ok then, be sure to arrive for the raid in three days at 10:00. And once again, thank you Radiant Horizon for providing us with the dungeon's map data as well as boss information."

Many of the players began to leave the meeting room, but not without thanking Asuna for her guild's contribution to the boss raid. After a few minutes, only Asuna, Julia, Heathcliff, Kibaou, Thinker, and Lind were left in the room, sitting at a large table in the center. "Once again Asuna-san, I thank you for the data you've provided us. It is indeed a large feat for a new guild with only four members to map an entire dungeon. However, I expected this much from you. Keep up the good work, and if there's any way my guild or I could be of service to you, just ask," Heathcliff said with a small smile. Kibaou was nodding his head with a smile of his own as well, while Lind kept his arrogant expression on his face.

"It was nothing, Heathcliff-san. Actually, I think I may have a favor to ask you, as well as the other leaders here," Asuna said, causing all attention to go to her. She stood up from her seat, followed by Julia who took her right, both sporting their guild symbol of a sun cut horizontally through the middle. "I want to start a partnership with your guild, Heathcliff-san, as well as with anyone else who wants to take part. I want us to work together as best we can to quicken the pace, while greatly lowering player casualties." Thinker spoke up, voicing his opinion as well as questions to Asuna and the other listeners in the room. "That is an admirable idea Asuna, but what would this agreement provide us with? How would it change our efficiency and the clearers as a whole? How would this partnership be different from just joining the guild you want to partner with?" Thinker's questions were well founded, and all the other guild leaders now expected answers from the fledgling in their group.

This time, Julia spoke up for her commander, "Heathcliff-san, leader of the KOB, Lind-san, leader of the DDA, Thinker-san and Kibaou-san, co-leaders of the Army (ALF), and Radiant Horizon, led by Asuna-san; while we all seek to escape Aincrad in the end, our guilds are focused on different aspects of liberation. Heathcliff-san, the KOB is strictly interested at clearing floors at this point, while Thinker-san and Kibaou-san are more concerned about the weaker players of the game. The DDA, while also focused on clearing floors, is mainly interested in securing powerful equipment. I'm fairly certain we have much to offer with a partnership. Please excuse me for my intrusion," and with that, Julia gave a deep bow.

"Please think about the partnership, guild leaders. By the day, my guild is getting more and more popular, just as yours did when you announced your plans. It would be a critical advantage to have good relations with other guilds, to build a foundation of trust and reliance between the frontliners. I ask one more time that you consider this endeavor early on in the death game, so that we could pave the path to our future." Asuna gave a bow to the leaders before bidding them farewell. Now walking through the peaceful streets of Welrock, Asuna recollected about her offer. Asuna was aware that she had lied about their guild's rising popularity, and her heart rate quickened at the possibility of being found out. Well, really it was more of a half lie, considering that if things were going well on Kaname's end, then her guild would become vastly popular throughout Aincrad. That put her at ease greatly; Kaname had seemed more than eager to carry out the task she had assigned him.

"That was a nice ending to your proposition, Asuna-san," Julia spoke up. Julia had been very quiet at the meeting, if you didn't count the little outburst she had at the end. She had been expressionless during the meeting, but whenever she wasn't doing business or clearing floors, she was more at ease with her surroundings. "Thanks. I thought what you said was helpful, too." At this, Julia's face turned a bit red. "I'm sorry for jumping into your speech. I think I got a little excited back there." Asuna laughed at her friend,"No, no, it's not a problem. What you said was true, and it may help us out in the long run."

"How do you think Kaname is doing, Julia?" Asuna asked, curious as to what her answer would be. She had seen Julia and Kaname talking quite a few times out of battle. Of course, it was Julia that mostly took initiative. Julia must know Kaname better than Asuna did; that made the guild leader a little upset, seeing how it's her responsibility to know all her guild mates well enough to get a feel of their personality.

"Kaname, huh. I'm pretty sure he's doing well; he always thinks things through before he does anything, if I've learned anything from our grinding sessions. He should be fine. Although from the way he talks to me and Lisbeth-san, he can be a little… smug. And sarcastic. And an idiot. And reckless. And-"

"Ok, Julia, I get the point," Asuna interrupted. This is the first time Julia had been visibly upset, at least in front of Asuna. Julia blushed, caught in the act of ranting about Kaname. It was true, she had been getting closer to Kaname recently, but it was so that he would open up to the guild and lose his pompous ego. Honest.

"Well in any case, we should be making our way back to Lisbeth's shop. She'll want to know how everything turned out." Julia nodded and continued following Asuna to the teleport gate.

* * *

 **January 5, 2023, Second Floor 20:00**

Night had fallen upon the second floor, replacing the majestic sunset that had graced the sky with the serene twinkling of stars accompanied by the ever watchful Selene. Kirito breathed in the crisp mountain breeze in, savoring the unique feeling the floor gave him. This was one of the rare instances that made him appreciate his solitude. The only sounds around him were the rustling of the pine trees and the crackling of the fire he had started half an hour ago. He had somewhat enjoyed his dinner of wolf-kebabs, slightly burned as they were; they were enough to keep his belly full for a while, and he welcomed the warm feeling in his stomach from the food he had eaten; he decided that Kayaba was at least a bit considerate of the trapped players by putting extra detail into the little things, such as eating and warmth. Warmth… the fire emitted the soft sensation all around him, and when coupled with the [Alpha's Fur Coat] he had received from the boss, it seemed that the bitter cold that usually plagued the mountains had vanished.

Kirito was proud of himself for helping out the lower leveled players in the game with the boss. He still remembered when he had accepted the task of dealing with the wolf boss that was keeping players from grinding safely. Kirito had overheard a couple of people at a bar in Urbus complaining of an "overly powerful" wolf roaming the far outskirts of the floor, constantly coming closer to the fields near the town. They had fought against the boss, severely underestimating its power, and came very close to death. Kirito was unsure of how they escaped; it was never mentioned during the conversation he had eavesdropped on. All he knew is that the boss did have the potential to kill, and that in itself was reason enough for Kirito to deal with the beast. He didn't tell anybody of his effort; there was no need to get so much attention for something like this. He was simply glad he could help, not to mention the level he had gained through the effort.

Kirito yawned himself out of his thoughts, and noticing the time in his HUD, he deemed it time to seek out an inn. Kirito was no stranger to sleeping outside; in fact, he had slept outside regularly during the first month of the death game, increasing his awareness of surroundings tremendously. After all, Kirito believed that nothing could be gained without a little risk involved, and he found himself thankful that he decided to camp outside. With a grunt, Kirito lifted himself up from the ground with the intent to put out the fire. _Wait a second… it's not like the fire will burn the forest down… it is- no, was a game after all._ Kirito chuckled to himself for forgetting the simple truth of this world.

He began to make his way around the base of the huge mountain where he had fought the wolf. Tracking the beast down earlier had been easier said than done; it was pure chance that Kirito had stumbled upon the wolf in this area. Actually, now that he thought about it, he wondered how he had even gotten here. And that train of thought eventually led him to the convenient fact that he had no way of knowing where he was going. The land surrounding him was unfamiliar from the beta, as well as his excursions when the frontlines had occupied this floor. This was new territory to him, and while that excited him, it also reminded him of how useless it was in the dark. _Damn it… I'm tired_ , he mentally whined as he continued his journey through the dark forest.

* * *

 **January 5, 2023 Floor 3 Kana 20:00**

Kaname eyed the hooded girl in front of him cautiously. The only stand out feature that was shown from the girl was the mischievous grin that her lips were wearing. They were both sitting in one of the wooden gazebos that stood in the center of town surrounding the teleport gate. He had never felt so… anxious before, but he had to remind himself that he was sitting with a living legend, although his ego would never let him admit that out loud. He'd been pretty good at collecting information from all corners of the floor; of course, he had also committed himself to clearing, and now a guild. He had made plenty of money and a small reputation by collecting secrets and info about each floor, but just by sitting in front of this girl, all his accomplishments in the field were dwarfed by her achievements.

"So, what could I do for you, Kaname? I'm surprised you actually had the guts to talk to me; have you finally acknowledged me as your superior, after all this time?" For most people, it would take quite an amount of experience and devotion to regard a job so seriously, but Kaname had always been adamant in keeping his pride as an info broker intact, meaning that he couldn't lower himself to asking other info brokers for help in information gathering, or in this case, distributing. Even though he didn't have as much experience as the person in front of him did, that didn't mean he didn't take his status seriously.

"I came here for my guild, not for me. Don't get the wrong idea, Argo." He spat out her name with obvious distaste. This had not been their first encounter with one another, but even so he tired from her all knowing personality from day one. She always seemed to know something he didn't, which bothered him greatly. No matter who she was dealing with, Argo always held the best hand; she always got what she wanted, one way or another. And he hated that, but it would do him no good. He was done being jealous and selfish; he saw what it could do to people, and he saw what it did to him. He swallowed the rest of his resentment towards Argo, and did what he was told to do by Asuna.

"We need help, Argo. We need more publicity, and that's why we need you. You are the… most not bad information broker there is. You own your own newspaper for God's sakes! If anybody can give us the acknowledgement that we need, it's you."

"I see. I'm more than willing to help your guild out, Kaname. What do you have that will help me out?"

This is where Kaname's own bargaining skills would come into play; everybody had expected Argo to demand payment for the service she would provide them, but they left the price negotiation to Kaname.

"As long as you continue support us, we'll support you. We can give you information about all the quests we do. We can give you map data for dungeons before anyone else. And that's for the rest of the game!"

"Well, I like your style. I'll accept your terms for now, but remember, they're always subject to change."

"Fine then. If I have your word, I'm gone."

"Oh, and Kaname. Don't think I don't know what you're doing!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Joining a guild full of beautiful women… coming to another beautiful woman for help. I have to say that I'm impressed." She laughed as Kaname scowled at her, but then she continued in a much darker tone. "One wrong step, Kaname, and I'll sick my Kii-bou on you…"

"Kii-bou?"

"He's a premium for an info broker of my stature; unfortunately for you, he's only one of a kind."

"Good night, Argo," Kaname muttered, uninterested in anything else she had to say. He stepped through the teleport gate, disappearing in a flash of light, leaving Argo alone to her thoughts.

 _Speaking of Kii-bou…_

* * *

 **January 5, 2023, Second Floor 21:00**

"DAMN IT!" Kirito yelled as he tripped on a protruding root sticking out of the ground. _Why does it have to be so dark out here?!_ He hurriedly dusted himself off before breaking into another sprint. He now understood how cruel this game could be as he recounted the past fifteen minutes: He had been walking for about 45 minutes without any indication of civilization near him. He was about to give up and use a teleport crystal when his boot connected with something… soft? A shrill squeal pieced his ear, and blood red eyes looked up at him. He immediately recognized it as an Argon Rabbit… but the eyes were new to him. It must've been a night time variation of the regular mob. Kirito's reaction time had been on point as he delivered a killing blow to the rabbit straight out of its sheath. As he was returning his Anneal Blade to its scabbard, he couldn't help but notice the… quieter atmosphere of the forest. He paid it no mind as he took a step forward; it was then that at least twenty pairs of glowing, crimson eyes looked upon his surprised visage. Then, with annoying battle cries of their own, the horde of Argon Rabbits leapt forth at their prey, The Black Swordsman. Since that moment, Kirito had been running nonstop from the relentless bunnies.

Kirito made a sharp left turn, still unable to shake his pursuers off his trail. He didn't dare look back, unwilling to see their bodiless red eyes. It was a really disturbing sight to say the least, and he wished that they would just give up. Kirito leapt high into the trees, jumping from branch to branch; this didn't deter the hopping demons one bit, as they too leapt into the trees with Kirito. One of them rammed its head into Kirito's back, effectively knocking him out of the trees. Kirito fell ungracefully from the tree tops, landing on his face when he hit the ground. He had half a mind to fall asleep right then and there, beut he knew that wouldn't do. He restarted his mad dash as the trees above started raining demon bunnies behind him. They bounded after him with renewed vigor, if their squeals proved anything. He jumped toward the right, and he was met with reception party on the other side; more red-eyed rabbits leapt at him. His reaction time was once again quick, whether from fear or skill, he didn't know. He managed to cut down two Argon Rabbits at the same time as he began hacking and slashing his way through the other supposed "vegetarians."

The rabbits were persistent, that much he'd give them. He felt as if the whole carrot-munching population had been alerted to his arrival as the freaks of nature continued to tail him.

"Curse these _–pant-_ stupid rabbits…" Kirito knew that he could probably take them all on with ease; it would just take up too much time, although by now, running had already spent fifteen minutes of his time. Despite the tedious, and not to mention pointless retreat he was making, he kept telling himself that he'd lose them in just a few more seconds, or that he'd get to a safe zone around the next tree. It proved that the former was spot on, as the red-eyed devils had either tired from chasing him, or the more probable conclusion being that they were too far from their assigned area. Some mobs in SAO were assigned to specific regions of each floor, and as such, they are only allowed a certain distance away from it to roam. It appeared that Kirito had run out of their reach, which was good considering his fatigue had caught up with him. Sleep was beckoning Kirito to enter its open arms, but Kirito didn't relent that easily. He still needed to get to town, but he did not want to waste a teleport crystal just to do it.

He took a moment to figure out where he was. The forest he had just left was behind him; in front of him was a towering mountain that looked vaguely familiar… _Don't tell me._ A short distance away, smoke was being wafted into the air by the gentle mountain breeze, the source coming from a small bundle of burnt pieces of wood. Kirito stood in the exact same place he had been just an hour ago. _I guess there's no helping it… I'll have to use a teleport crystal after all._ Kirito raised his head up to the sky, taking in the beautiful sight above him, breathing in the cool air; he was tired from all the happenings today, and he just wanted to start fresh tomorrow. It was then that something caught his eye; a source of light coming from the mountainside, covered by the abundance of trees shielding the dirt and grass that housed them. His curiosity kicked in, shoving out the weight of sleep in the process.

Kirito knew that it would take forever to climb the mountain, but if it meant discovering something that could give him an edge in Aincrad, he would gladly scale the tremendous entity. But first, he had to check if his suspicions were right. He began running around the base of the mountain. It would take hours to make it all the way around, but if he was right, what he was looking for was just a bit farther ahead. Sure enough, after five minutes of nonstop sprinting, Kirito came to an open area of the mountain, unguarded by any trees or monsters. A hung lantern emitted a warm glow, lighting up the dirt path below it. The path didn't look natural, and in games, that meant it wasn't. He stared up the long winding road, wondering what it held at its end; only one way to find out. The Black Swordsman readied himself for another adventure, not patient for daybreak to arrive. The road ahead would be a long one, but nothing amazing could be obtained without hardship along the way.

* * *

 **January 6, 2023, Second Floor 04:00**

The true height of the mountain was not distinguishable from such a low altitude; Kirito would easily agree with this sentiment from where he was standing. His trip up the mountain was much more dangerous than he thought it would be. At the mountain's base, mobs were plentiful, but as he travelled up, they became scarce, and stronger. Among these mobs were three field bosses, all much stronger than the field boss he had fought earlier. These bosses were something you'd see in the labyrinth leading up to a boss room, not on a mountain on the second floor. All in all, he used up about eight health potions and gained two levels during the trek, not bad at all for six hours of walking; however, the fatigue he thought he had banished earlier was currently creeping in the corners of his mind, dragging away his alertness bit by bit. He had to keep going. Anything that would help him survive was good enough reason to continue.

The mountain itself made some dramatic changes as he continued to scale it. The greenery and trees had began to vanish as the height increased, replaced by a more rocky terrain and cooler temperatures. Soon he was forced to trudge his way through the snow, which had accumulated near the top of the mountain. He was protected from the chill by the [Alpha's Fur Coat], which was fastened together snugly across his chest. The walking took forever, and the only time he would stop is when he was forced to climb jagged rock formations in order to continue his ascension.

Kirito had a clear view of the mountain peak now, and he noticed the lack of anything special. Throwing caution to the wind, he started sprinting up the mountain; fortunately, his footing was exceptional, and he remained on his feet despite the thick snow beneath him. Within what felt like seconds, he was at the pinnacle of the mountain. This was the first time he'd seen level land since he began his trek up, and he couldn't help but collapse into the soft snow that blanketed the ground; that didn't last long, since the cold was too much for him. He looked around the small plot of land, finding nothing spectacular about it at all. _There must be something up here that I'm missing… It doesn't make sense, unless._

Kirito walked along the edge of the peak, giving away to the slanted ground that fenced it. He had climbed up one side of the mountain, but it could be possible that whatever it was he was looking for was nearby on another side. As Kirito studied the surrounding parts of the mountain, he noticed that on one side, there was a lack of snow, instead replaced by trees and farther down grass. A short distance away, he spotted a collection of lights together in one area. Maybe this was what he was looking for. He began to make his way back down the mountain, intent on making this trip count.

* * *

This was the first time he had felt like this in a while. It used to happen frequently after constant hours of grinding into the night, after pushing himself further than he was meant to go at the time. He was wobbling, that much he was aware of. His head felt light, and sleep seemed like the obvious relief from this trouble. He couldn't sleep yet though, he had to know for sure what lies on this mountain. He had walked for about half an hour now, and he was so close to his destination; tree stumps rested on the ground, and he recognized the fresh scent of cooked apples permeating the air. Something was up ahead, and neither the cold, nor his own fatigue would stop him from finding out. But he didn't know why he was making such a fuss over this anymore. The mountain had a _chance_ of housing something valuable. He could've waited until daybreak to check, but his own curiosity and sense of adventure had spurred him. And he was almost there…

Luscious green grass covered the ground, a drastic change from the other side's rocky terrain. The trees had broken apart, revealing an expanse of clear land that didn't belong on a mountain. Trees still lined the perimeter of this spacious range, lanterns hanging on some of the timber around him. In the center of this huge green plain was a medieval Japanese style house, something that a samurai might occupy, accompanied by an eerily familiar building beside it. Kirito's mind was too foggy to make sense of the apprehension he felt towards the second structure, so he looked back to the first. It was pretty sizable, enough to comfortably house a family of four comfortably. Beside it was a pond, with what he recognized as a rock garden surrounding it. Two flower beds made the borders for a makeshift walkway leading up to a sliding door that made the entrance to the house. It was very beautiful, indeed.

Kirito was too tired to carry on, which was pretty strange, considering that he had done more than this in the past. Maybe he was sick in the real world or something. His sight had become black in the corners, and he could no longer feel in part of his body; it was like he had been demoted into a third person view of the scene. Before he knew it, he was on the ground, struggling to retain consciousness. He faintly heard the sound of footsteps walking towards him, before passing out on the ground, letting sleep take him as the sun began to peak out from the horizon of Aincrad.

* * *

 **A/N**

 **OK, so this is the stag in my story where planning needs to be reevaluated. I'll be doing a bit of that while trying to get chapter six out soon. This is going to be an important part of the story, as well as a recurring setting throughout. Anyway please review and tell me what you think about my story so far. Any criticism is appreciated. Thanks a lot!**


	6. Dreams and Regrets

**A/N**

 **I know I'm late, and I'm really sorry. I've been really busy lately, and to top it off it's been affecting how well I write. I tried with this chapter and I really hope you'll enjoy it. I'm trying to get the story at a comfortable point before I start taking things up a notch. Anyway, have a good read, and I'll see you at the bottom. Reviews are appreciated immensely.**

 ***I EDITED TWO CHAPTERS TO FIX TIMELINE. SORRY FOR ALERTS...***

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Sword Art Online.**

* * *

 **January 7, 2023 Floor 2 19:00**

 _A young boy, no older than eight years old, stood outside in a grassy field, clasping a shinai tightly in his hands, unmoving. A grueling repetition of the same swing over and over had caused the black haired young man to sweat profusely, drenching his keikogi, which now clung desperately to his chest. An older man, at least in his fifties, walked up to the younger boy, his face contorted in anger as his mouth moved violently, no sound coming out of his expressive lips. The boy resumed his nonstop repetition of overhead swings with tears in his eyes. To any other onlooker, it would've seemed apparent that the old man was abusing the boy with his words. However, while true in some cases, this was not the main reason for tears this time. The boy continued the exhausting slashes, his gaze directed at a little girl staring out the window of his home, watching him "practice". He cried for her, as he silently cursed the road that his sister would be forced to take by the cruel man in front of him. That man… the one with regard to only his desires and dreams… the one who forced this on his own family in order to glorify his name. Kazuto stared at his grandfather, scowling at the unaware elder with a furious passion. He wouldn't let his grandfather have his way with him… no, Kazuto wouldn't let him have the satisfaction. As hours seemed to pass, everything began to fade around the boy, but not before the little girl ran outside with a pitcher of water and a cup. She poured the liquid into the cup and handed it to Kazuto, giving him a cute smile. He gently took the cup out of her hands, and took a drink from it. He willed himself to smile back at her, just to make her happy. The little girl embraced her older sibling, but just as the boy was about to speak, everything went dark…_

"Sugu…"

Kirito opened his eyes, finally relieved from the nightmares that had haunted the entirety of his rest. All of them had the same theme; his "grandfather." Whether his dreams take place at practice, or at the occasional Kendo tournaments he was forced to take part in, his "grandfather" was there, scolding him. The rants ranged from technique, to lack of effort, to his newfound interest in computers, or even about how he was a disgrace to the Kirigaya lineage. That was truly something, considering that a couple years later he discovered that he wasn't a Kirigaya in the first place. That in itself was a new bundle of horrors that Kirito didn't feel like exploring. There was one positive element in most of his dreams though, one that he never tired of seeing. He got the chance to see his little sister again, and that made the whole affair worthwhile.

* * *

 **January 7, 2023, Floor 3 Kana 19:00**

Escape from this game was the only way to atone for what he had done. Even though he wasn't aware of the death game until the announcement, he still felt responsible for bringing his little brother, Hikaru, into this. It was supposed to be fun, a new experience where he could show his little brother what it was like to be a knight in all of the bedtime stories he and his mother used to read to him. But it became a nightmare, more for Kaname than most. He had fallen into a void of despair and self-hate, for bringing a ten year old boy, his brother, into the game with him. He was grateful to Sasha for watching his little brother, and would never miss out on an opportunity to go and visit the orphanage. Sometimes, Heathcliff would be there telling stories about his guild or a particular dungeon he had raided in the past week. When he had heard his brother's trademark, bubbly laugh, it made him appreciate all the people who took their time to help others on lower floors.

Kaname was always curious as to how his little brother was treated. He was one of the youngest there, just a few months past seven years old. Sasha said that despite his young age, he'd followed his older brother's example, taking care of his younger "siblings" that also lived at the orphanage. It seemed that Hikaru had gotten along with everybody nicely, easily believable considering his generally friendly nature; it was a stark contrast to Kaname's more reclusive and reserved nature. Ever since the orphanage's move to the larger estate, things were looking up for the children. They had a spacious home, vast amounts of land to play on, and he had even learned that Kibaou and a few other ALF members delivered food for the orphanage once a week; after all, it was hard to feed twenty children. All in all, he knew his brother had it made at the orphanage.

Nobody other than Sasha knew that he had a brother, much less a little brother trapped in the game. He assumed that a few kids from the orphanage, and maybe Heathcliff, knew about their relationship, considering how proud Hikaru was of his older brother; he was bound to tell someone eventually. That made Kaname happy just a bit; he was glad that his brother didn't outright hate him. However, he couldn't help but hate himself. He needed to become stronger so that he could get his little brother out of the game quickly. That, though, had made him selfish.

Joining a guild was meant to give Kaname a way of getting his ideas across to others… well at least it was his initial plan. He had wanted nothing to do with the actual guild members; it was more of just a title to give him more say in clearing affairs and such. Unfortunately, he found that the more time he had spent with them, the more he could see how selfish he was being. He trapped his little brother in this world full of death, and he was scared for both of their lives; he didn't want to waste time teaming up with anybody and following orders if it wasted his effort to get out of Aincrad. He soon saw, though, that everybody in this game was in the same situation. They were all stuck in the game, and they were all bearing their own sadness and weakness within them. It was not fair to think that he was the only one with a problem that mattered; it was unfair to treat people harshly just because of it. He came to this conclusion on his own, after witnessing the closeness between other guilds, as well as how his guild leader, Asuna, carried herself in front of her team.

Kaname was pulled out of the far corners of his mind by the soft "ping" of his notification window. Tapping the window once, a new screen appeared with a message from Asuna. It was a reminder that they would be meeting today to do some special grinding sessions in preparation for the boss battle. He sighed as he made his way to the teleport gate, putting his thoughts to rest while he let his battle mind kick in.

* * *

Kirito was normally very keen of his surroundings regardless of the state he was in. One could not afford the luxury of ignorance in a world like this, which was why at the current moment he wanted to beat the hell out of himself. He had no idea where he was! He turned his head a bit, spying his sword and sheath lying on the floor, a mere foot from his bed. Whoever had deposited him here had the courtesy to leave his faithful companion within arm's reach, much to Kirito's relief. He reached for his sword and tapped it, automatically equipping it to himself.

Kirito slowly stood up from where he was lying, a small throbbing in his head accompanying the miniscule movement. A dim orange light lit the room, the source being a paper lantern hung in the center of the room. The room seemed to be built out of wood, with mats serving as comforters for the floor. It was definitely too small to be a standalone building, so Kirito could safely surmise that he was likely to be in the room of a larger building. He looked down to see his place of rest, a simple mattress lay out on the floor, the thin blanket that had covered him now sprawled out over its surface. A short desk, one that would require you to be on the floor to use, was not too far from the "bed," a cup of water sitting atop of it. On the wall was an intricately painted picture of a dragon, its center containing the word "dragon" in Kanji text. Other than those furnishings, nothing remained to be explored within the room he had occupied.

Kirito put his hazed mind at ease; it seemed that he was safe, thanks to whoever had helped him earlier. He walked over and took a sip of water from the cup, if only to relax his nerves. Kirito took another look around the room and noticed two doorways occupying two adjacent walls. They were both traditional Japanese sliding doors, and when taking the wooden build of the room, as well as the use of mats, known as tatami, that covered the floor, Kirito was certain that the building he was in was styled after Medieval Japanese architecture.

Kirito approached the door that was emitting a feint light and slid it open, a gust of fresh air entering the cozy room. He walked out of the room and immediately noticed the orange sky, reminding him of how painfully long he had slept in. Polished mahogany wood was beneath his feet, above him a roof reserved for the walkway. He remembered that houses in Medieval Japan usually had hallways outside of the actual structure of the building, and it was with those hallways that you'd get to different parts of the house. He looked around him, noticing that there were many other buildings in the area, all connected by the long hallway that served as a fence for the inner areas of this estate. There were a total of five buildings connected by the hallway, the array making a u-shape of sorts. In the space contained within the estate lay a small body of water, gleaming brightly in the last amount of sun it would get for the day.

He took a closer look at the sparkling pool of water, its sapphire color blending nicely with the emerald green grass surrounding it. He vaguely remembered seeing the pond before he collapsed, but apparently he didn't get a good look at it. The rock garden he spied upon first sight of the complex resided in the vicinity around the pond, while a majestic sakura tree occupied the far corner of the pond.

Before Kirito could take his eyes off the scene, he noticed a middle-aged man with black hair done up in a traditional ponytail, fishing in the pond he was just admiring. The man had noticed Kirito and waved him over. As Kirito made his decent down the stairs that led from the raised pathway into the courtyard, he spied his black boots lying on the ground just at the bottom of the steps. He touched the boots and quickly equipped them, feeling the comfortable weight return to his legs. He walked slowly towards where the man was sitting, the slow pace encouraged by the light dizziness in his head. The older man was sitting on a rock overlooking the lake, a look of mild concentration on his face as he held the fishing rod steady.

"It is nice to finally meet you swordsman; my name is Zheng Lao," the older man said with a polite smile. He talked in a very calm manner, pronouncing his words slowly and articulately.

"My name is Kirito. It's nice to meet you too." Kirito gave a quick bow, before the man patted the spot on the rock next to him. Kirito sat down with a look of confusion evident on his features. Before he had the chance to voice his questions, Zheng stood up slowly, tentatively handing the fishing rod to Kirito. "I hope you don't mind if I make tea quickly. I'm sure you have plenty of questions to ask me, so I hope you can wait just a few more minutes."

Kirito nodded before taking the fishing rod from the man, noticing the grey cursor that took its place above the man's head. _He's an NPC… NPCs shouldn't be capable of making too many direct interactions with players, so he couldn't have been the person who carried me inside the building. That must mean that there is… or was someone else here. But the chances of anyone being on this mountain so late at night were slim, making it hard to believe that there could've been any other person up here with him._

Kirito was now thoroughly at a loss, but it wasn't important enough for him to dwell on. Right now, he would focus on where he was, and if there was something worth getting up here. The man returned carrying a tray with two teacups and a bowl whose contents were unknown to Kirito, balancing it on one hand while in the other hand a silver pendant hung loosely in his grip. Kirito took in the older man's appearance; he was wearing a red kimono with a white obi belt, his legs covered by a black hakama. He also covered the upper half of his body with a black haori, making him look like something out of a kung fu movie. Kirito himself was familiar with the clothing style, having been forced to where it when he was younger.

The man took his earlier position on the rock as he handed Kirito a tea cup, steamy vapors that smelled of mint freely flowing out of the cup. A bowl of berries was placed between the two men, both sitting cross-legged on the boulder overlooking the pond. The older man, Zheng, took a sip out of his cup before speaking to Kirito.

"I'm impressed traveler. The path up to my home is very dangerous; you are the first person to dare to scale the mountain and succeed in climbing it. You must be a skilled swordsman indeed. Tell me, what was it that you were seeking in your climb up the mountain?"

Kirito processed the NPCs words one piece at a time. _So this whole place is his house, and I'm the first person to make it up here… strange. Could it be that I triggered a quest on my way up the mountain? That would explain the lines the NPC is using, but I don't know._ Kirito took a sip from the teacup, the warm liquid carrying his body into a soothing pool of warmth, before telling the man that he had climbed up the mountain seeking treasure.

"Well, I'm sorry to say that your climb was for nothing… There is no treasure on this mountain; as far as I know, my wife and I are the only two people that live up on this mountain" Zheng drank a small amount of tea before continuing, "however, I might have an offer that could interest you, swordsman." Kirito raised an eyebrow at this. Maybe there was something worth coming here for after all.

"I didn't exactly introduce myself properly. I am Zheng Lao, the martial arts master. I've been waiting to pass my skills and knowledge to a new generation for a long time. I can see the endless potential hidden deep within you. I want to guide you, to train you in the ways of the warrior, if you'll accept me as your teacher."

NPCs had never sounded so… sincere. The man sitting beside Kirito genuinely wanted to tutor him in his fighting style. Kirito saw nothing against it… in fact; Kirito reckoned that this was the secret of the mountain. If it was, then there would definitely be something to gain from this situation. On the other hand, Kirito knew nothing of this quest, but that didn't mean anything. 'You won't know until you try…' And besides, there was no harm in trying to learn something new.

"I would really appreciate it if you would take me in as your pupil," Kirito stated, his mind made up about his decision. He had wasted a whole day that could've been spent grinding, so he might as well make up for it in some way. He still didn't feel very good, but that didn't matter to him now; it would pass eventually.

"Unfortunately, I'm not prepared to start training you today. Come back here in two weeks time, and then we will begin your training. After all, there is still much for you to learn on your own, I'm sure. Here, take this, it will help you return here much easier in the future…" the man handed Kirito a small silver pendant, elegantly carved into the shape of a crescent moon. A window popped up in front of Kirito.

 **"** **Received Disciple of Lao's pendant!"**

As soon as Kirito closed the window, the silver pendant disappeared into his inventory in a flash of blue polygons. What struck Kirito as odd was the lack of a quest window appearing before him. At this point, it was evident that Kirito's interaction with the old man should've be treated as some kind of quest, but he shrugged it off, chalking it up to one of the many puzzling surprises of Akihiko Kayaba.

"It was nice to meet you, _Master Lao_." Kirito said, handing the fishing rod back to the martial arts master while getting up off the rock. "I hope to learn much from you in our time together." Kirito said, before bowing deeply to Zheng. Kirito was a man of few words, but he at least preferred the words he did say to be less formal. The elder man gave a brief chuckle, before standing up and bowing himself.

"It will be an honor to be called your master. Farewell, I'll see you in two weeks time."

Kirito pulled out a teleport crystal. He had lost valuable leveling time, so he needed to go back to the frontlines and get a major kickstart on his EXP farming. The master waved at Kirito, before the boy clad in black spoke.

"Teleport, Welrock!"

The black swordsman disappeared from the face of the shadowed mountain side in a flash of blue. All that was left was the ominous sound of the cool mountain wind rushing through the trees, signaling the coming of another chilly night. Zheng Lao took a sip of his warm tea and felt as the liquid banished the cold from his skin. The NPC looked up into the sky, admiring the last feint beauty of the sunset.

"I hope I've made the right choice…"

* * *

 **January 8, 2023 Floor 5 Boss Room 12:00**

A group of around fifty players gathered in the vast space at the end of the boss' dungeon. All of them had met at the allotted time for the boss meeting, including a certain dark-haired swordsman, who learned from his friend, The Rat, that the boss fight would be today. Excited chatter could be heard throughout the room, ironic considering death could be hovering just beyond the large doors at the end of the room. But then again, Klein wasn't so worried; the floor bosses he'd faced so far hadn't been too hard, and he excpected that the first five or ten floors would be more of a tutorial to the game than anything else.

Klein looked around the room just outside the boss chamber; more people had turned up since the last boss fight, which was definitely a good sign for the future of the clearing group. If they continued to ramp up the pace, it should only take two years, give or take, until they were out of this deathgame. Klein spied many regular faces; Asuna was currently with her guild, making light conversation with Heathcliff. Kirito was, as usual, in his own little corner of the room, leaning against a wall. Aware of Klein's eyes on him, Kirito gave a small nod to let the samurai know that he was ready for the fight. The rest of Klien's guild was busy talking to some members of the ALF, which had rapidly become the largest guild in Aincrad so far. Klein didn't know how they could get members so quickly; whatever Kibaou and Thinker were doing, it must've been something amazing. Speaking of Kibaou, he was standing of to the side of the room with his eyes shut tight, as if having a nightmare. Klein had half a mind to go over and ask him what's wrong, but decided against it when Heathcliff's deep voice bellowed. "Everybody, prepare yourselves for the boss fight. Shields, take your position in the front! Everyone else, stay close behind!" With those words, Heathcliff took his position in front of the shield group, donning his own blue shield and holding it firmly in front of him.

Heathcliff used his free arm to push the large doors open, and the crowd of warriors started to file into the spacious boss chamber. At the other end of the boss room, a giant pink bunny with ruby red eyes screeched in protest to the advance. Out of the corner of his eye, Klein noticed Kirito's now intense expression. With a fury that put all his other boss fights to shame, Kirito was shaking with teeth bared, pouring all his killing intent out on the boss a good distance away from him. Klein didn't know what about the bunny could've got the usually stoic Kirito so riled up, but he put faith in Kirito's assessments, so he regarded the boss as a threat as well. Four health bars were displayed beside the rabbit's face, while its name was written just above its head. «The Rabid Rabbit» dashed forward like lightning as it slammed its oversized body into Heathcliff's shield. Heathcliff barely budged from the effort, but since the other players hadn't expected such a straightforward attack, they were momentarily at a loss as for what to do.

Kirito, however, was quick to react, jumping at the large rabbit's face and delivering a vicious cut across its nose. The rabbit cried in pain and leapt back as Kirito landed on the ground in front of Heathcliff. Just as Kirito touched the ground, a white blur sped past him and in front of the boss, followed by another speedy player in a brown coat. After the two charging warriors, the rest of the raid group advanced at a slower pace behind them. As they reached the boss, the player in white, Asuna of course, accurately jabbed her rapier through the boss's eyes, doing a good bit of damage to its first health bar. Then the second player, Kaname, jumped into the air and created a large gash across the boss's chest. The boss's health bar drained completely, disappearing as the players started on the second. Just as the other clearers made it to the boss, the rabbit jumped into the air, and with a surprising roar, slammed into the ground, stunning the majority of the players. Before it could make an attack, a man with blazing red armor took the air and slammed his spear into the flesh of the rabbit's chin, knocking the rabbit back and taking half of its second health bar down with it.

Three-quarters of all the players in the room had lost ten percent of their health from the attack the rabbit had given them, but that was not enough to send them running away as they all gathered up to deal serious damage to the fallen boss. A huge mass of players charged in, some jumping on the rabbits belly, stabbing it relentlessly with their swords. Kirito was on the boss's forehead, looking it straight in its gleaming red eyes as he plunged his sword between its eyes. At that moment he faintly regarded himself as a sadist, but the spirit of vengeance would not be denied so easily, and he continued to cut the boss in every manner possible. Klein and the Furinkazan were effectively raining sword skills down on the boss, while Kaname nicked at the critical parts of its body, initiating the "bleed" status effect on the boss. From a bird's eye view, it would look like a colony of ants salvaging the dead body matter of a fallen animal. It was a massacre for the boss which was highly lacking in defense.

Klein was glad that the boss battle was so easy. However, Klein had enough experience to know that this was just to lull the clearers into a false sense of superiority. No doubt the final health bar would introduce something dangerous into the mix. His suspicions were met when the third health bar vanished, surrounding the tortured rabbit in a dark red aura. Noticing the change in the boss, many of the clearers, him included, made haste in retreating from the raging rabbit. Kaname, however, had stayed behind, believing that he could do more damage to the boss before leaving it. A bad decision, as the bunny managed to regain his footing and leap twenty feet into the air, preparing to crush any of the players within its range. Just before it hit the ground, though, Klein caught sight of a blonde haired girl charging in front of Kaname with her shield raised, ready to take the brunt of the attack. The rabbit collided with the ground causing a huge tremor to shake the ground. Some of the players who had not retreated fast enough were stunned by the attack; thanks to Julia though, Kaname was safe from the stun attack. Unfortunately, Julia was not so lucky and lost 60% of her health. She had also been stunned and therefore had dropped her shield, leaving her wide open for the boss to attack. Unwilling to let the boss get the upper hand, the clearers once again made their way toward the boss, shield users and a few tanks leading this time.

Kaname acted quickly, thankful that he had been increasing his strength stat recently. With a grunt, he was able to lift Julia of the ground and rested her on his shoulder, immediately feeling her uneven breathing on his upper body. _Damned armor!_ Before he could escape from the frighteningly close proximity of the boss, though, it dashed forward head first at the two retreating guild mates. Kaname had close to no time to react, only able to turn his vacant side towards the boss in hopes of protecting his fallen comrade. Before any contact was made, a blue light sailed through the air at incredible speed, striking the boss in the face and reducing its last health bar to the halfway point. The creature had gotten a taste of its own medicine, getting stunned from the impact to its head. More concerned about the golden-haired girl slung over his shoulder than what happened, Kaname wasted no time in falling back as the rest of the raid party engaged the stilled rabbit. Kaname caught sight of Asuna's worried gaze, but gave her a reassuring look that seemed to do the trick in putting her mind at ease. Kaname continued to carry Julia to the far corner of the boss room, in hopes of getting her healed as well as letting her rest.

"I'm sorry, Julia. But, thank you…" These simple words were all he could say. What else was there to say; what excuses, sympathies, regrets, or praises could possibly be necessary for the person who had just saved his life. She lived her life in contrast to his; she wasn't self centered on her own problems or even her life, whereas he couldn't care less about anybody else. He had already vowed to change himself earlier, and in his arms was the one person that was everything he wanted to be… no, needed to be.

"It's okay, Kaname…" she whispered out. Kaname was on his knees with her body propped up against them. He held her head up as he brought a health potion up to her mouth and watched as her health bar, much like how dead grass in the winter rejuvenates back to life in the spring, moved from the deep yellow zone back to the greatly preferred emerald green. Julia placed her elbows firmly on the ground, using them to pick herself back up. Kaname placed his hand on hers as he stood up, pulling her up in the process. When she got to her feet, however, her legs shook and she fell into Kaname, who easily caught her. Kaname guessed that being so close to death for the first time had scared her, whether she knew it or not. Either way, her body wasn't cooperating with her, and that was enough for Kaname to count her out of the fight.

"Julia, stay here. The boss is almost finished, and then we can go leech food from Asuna when this is all done. We'll even go and get you a new shield!" Kaname was good at compromising with his little brother, and he'd hoped that he could convince her to take it easy. She was obviously still jumpy from the near-death experience, and it was evident that she wasn't thinking as clearly as she normally did. Her state was enough for him to take a more gentler tone with her.

"But I need to help. I have to be strong so that our guild will be strong too. I can still fight, I can still save people." Kaname internally sighed; her words on their own were showing her immeasurable courage and strength, her conviction. _Damn… I'm getting soft now, aren't I? Hikaru always said I was soft at heart…_ He was almost positive he could hear his little brother laughing at him, taking pauses to breathe and tell Kaname, _"I told you so!"_ He couldn't help but grin just a little; this was a victory that he'd have to give to his little brother.

"Julia, you've done more for the guild today than even Asuna has. You're strong, and I promise you when this is over you'll know for sure… but for right now… just take a rest." During his talk to her, he had led her to one of the far walls of the boss room. He slowly sat her down, letting her lean against the stone wall. She had her eyes closed when he set her down due to the mental stress she was going through. This was common even amongst the stronger players in the game; Kaname himself was no stranger to such a reaction from fear. He had seen it many times, even he himself going through it, although not to the extent that Julia did. Despite her worn out appearance, Kaname couldn't help but admire the girl; she had strength like no other, and she strived for victory and treasured her friends more than she feared death. No wonder she was such a strong player in this game… he promised that she would make it to the very end of the game. He could see it now… Asuna, Lizbeth, and Julia would all be standing at the end of Aincrad, while he held on tightly to a small hand that was clasped just as firmly as his was; he would change himself if it meant that would be the end result of this game.

"I'll be back, Julia…" Kaname started running in the direction of the fray, a new purpose propelling him forward towards victory.

* * *

Kirito was in awe of Heathcliff's selflessness. He had given up his defense to protect the two players about to be killed by the boss. He had hurled his shield at the boss with all his might, activating a Sword Skill Kirito had never seen before. The satisfying sight of the shield bashing the rabbit's skull had fueled the clearer's confidence even more. Unfortunately, the rabbit's anger had increased his offensive capabilities, as well as its speed. He knew a straight forward approach couldn't be risked, so he decided to break off from the main group of charging players and attack the boss's sides in order to distract it as the main attack was being carried out. Sadly, he had no time to carry out his attack as the rabbit leapt back from its foes.

Kirito made his way to the main group of raiders, which was reorganizing itself just as he arrived. In front of the large group stood the shield users, shields positioned forward ready to stop any advance the floor boss could make. Behind the shield users were the heavy damage dealers, capable of inflicting pain on the boss while being able to take their own share of damage from boss attacks. Heathcliff stood with the second group due to the loss of his shield, holding his sword in a two-handed grip. Then there was the third group, in which the players were mostly strength and speed type, being able to inflict loads of damage onto the boss while being able to get in and out of its range easily. It was incredible how quickly the players organized into this formation, a good sign that the clearers were learning.

The formation was built for a secure combination of a sturdy defense capable of holding off the boss, with the ability to attack the boss quickly and efficiently. The shields in the front would protect them from any attack, including stun, while the players in the back, with their speed, could retaliate quickly after any attack.

The boss snarled as it prepared to leap into the air to dish out a nasty quake attack to the ground; or at least, that's what most of the player thought. Indeed, it did become airborne, but the hop had sent the pink fur-ball towards the now flush group of players.

"Everybody, move!"

The short command was barked by Heathcliff with dire tone in his voice. The huge mass of players began scattering in different directions, lacking the order that was present just a mere second earlier. Many of the players had escaped the range of the boss's attack, but the heavier players didn't fare so well. Once the boss landed on the ground, a shockwave shook the ground harsly, stunning a couple of the slower players, Heathcliff included. The boss looked up, its red eyes locking onto Heathcliff, before madly dashing towards his frozen figure. None of the other players made a move to stop the rabbit from attacking Heathcliff; it would be suicide to block a hit like that without a strong defense, and the only players capable of said defense were also stunned by the boss.

Kirito was running as fast as he could, not willing to stand by and watch as a player died. He knew deep down, though, that he would not be able to make it in time to save Heathcliff from the attack. Time slowed to a crawl as the boss closed the distance between itself and Heathcliff. Kirito begged his legs to move faster, anything to stop the lethal collision. However, out of the corner of his eye, Kirito caught sight of a purple streak of light, too fast for him to follow. All of a sudden, the impact of metal against flesh and the ear-splitting screech that accompanied it echoed throughout the chamber of the boss room. Dirt was thrown up in the air a distance from Heathcliff, and Kirito noticed the lack of a rabid pink bunny. The dust was suddenly seasoned with shattered polygons, signaling the end of the boss fight.

* * *

"My name is Roland. It's nice to properly meet you, Heathcliff-san."

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Roland. Thank you for saving my life; I am forever in your debt." The spear user shook his head, and replied with a small grin. "You owe me nothing, Heathcliff-san. It's my responsibility to…" the older man cut himself off, before continuing, "I'm glad I could help." Heathcliff offered a hand to the older man, which he took in a firm grip.

Asuna watched the exchange from afar, sitting beside her passed out guild mate. Kaname had left shortly after the boss fight, but not before making sure the blonde haired girl had company. Apparently, Kaname said that he had wanted to check in on someone, and Asuna hadn't asked any questions; she was too concerned about Julia to care what Kaname had planned, although he could've stayed until she woke up. But she guessed that kind of care was beyond Kaname, anyway.

Asuna eyed Roland carefully. He was the one who defeated the boss, using a burst of speed that made Asuna envy him just a bit. She didn't think a speed like that was possible when wielding a spear, but it seemed that a certain sword skill had allowed him to break her speed limit with ease and plunge his spear deep within the boss before it reached Heathcliff. Whatever the case, this player, Roland, was definitely skilled in combat. She didn't recall seeing him at any earlier boss fights; it was strange for such a talented player to appear out of nowhere, but then again, Heathcliff as well as Julia had both appeared later on in the boss raids.

"Hey, Asuna, is she gonna be alright?" Asuna tilted her head upwards, recognizing the boy in front of her as Kirito. Beside him stood Klein and the Furinkazan, giving concerned looks toward the sleeping blonde. What surprised her more was when at least twenty more players came over to check on the young clearer.

"She'll be fine; she's just tired right now. I'm sure she'll wake up in a few minutes." Registering that as a command, Julia slowly opened her eyes and yawned, before taking in the scene before her. A feint blush crept up on her cheeks as she noticed all the people staring at her, and that's when she remembered where they were. She stood up in a flash, causing most of the players around her to flinch, besides Klein and Kirito, the latter of which instantly gripped his sword handle. Processing what he was doing, Kirito let go of the sword, ashamed at the mistake he could've made. Spending too much time in the wilderness had done wonders for his instincts, but the lack of player interaction had made him react to any sound or rapid movement. He was just glad that nobody seemed to notice.

"What happened to the boss?" she asked, her body no longer tense as she looked around the calm boss room.

"We defeated it five minutes ago… well actually, the spear user in the red armor did," one of the players spoke up, pointing at the retreating figure of the man at the end of the room.

"I'm sorry for not being able to help as much as I should have!" Julia said, upset at herself for looking weak in the midst of action. It shamed her how she responded in the face of death, even after having experienced its effects in Aincrad… and in the real world.

"Are you kidding…" one of the clearers, a man with spiky orange hair, started laughing. "You saved someone's life. There's nothing better than that, is there? You're a hero, kid."

"Yeah, don't be so down on yourself," Klein added, "you stopped the whole boss with just your shield and willpower. Not many of us can say the same. You're an inspiration to shield users everywhere!" A collection of nods followed that statement, making Julia blush harder. She couldn't help it, though. Praise was still pretty new to her, and the warm feeling in her stomach seemed to have hold of her lips.

"Hey, leader, what happened to Kaname?"

"He left a little while ago. He said he had to meet somebody." Julia's expression faltered for a second, before relaxing at a small smile. Julia then noticed the bulky figure of Heathcliff, carrying a large, glistening object in his hands. Julia recognized it as her shield; she had dropped it after being stunned in the boss fight.

"You seemed to have dropped this during the boss fight, Julia-san. You can't lose this; after all, you are 'The Absolute Shield'" Heathcliff said, handing the shield to Julia.

"Thank-you, Heathcliff-san. That really means a lot to me." Julia bowed to the man gratefully, who in response rubbed the back of his head.

"We should be making our way to the sixth floor now. Julia, you should have the honors of leading us up." Heathcliff looked towards the surprised, "Absolute Shield." She stood still, her shy nature gripping her body tightly. A gentle push came from behind her, and she looked back to see Asuna grinning up at her. Julia stepped forward and the rest of the raid party followed her. She climbed the stairs at the end of the boss room and pushed the large double doors open. As she walked out into the fresh scenery ahead of her, a certain sentenced replayed itself in her head.

 _"_ You're _strong, and I promise you when this is over you'll know for sure…"_

* * *

 **A/N (IMPORTANT~ish)**

 **So there it is. I hope it wasn't too shabby for your liking. The longest chapter I've posted so far... Anyway, just a couple of notes to help you understand a couple of the scenes, and a question.**

 **First, the question...**

 **Should I add Sinon into my story. I've already thought of an interesting way to add her in that fits in with the initial plot of my story. However, just know that she'll be very different from canon. I'm not talking about personality quirks or fighting style... but you'll see.**

 **Now, to address the first scene in the story. If you want to picture it more clearly, I would look at shoin-zukuri style architecture to help you get a better picture of where Kirito was at. It inspired my design for the estate, which will become a recurring setting in this story, as I've already mentioned.** **I'll try to post a layout of the estate if asked to.**

 **Also, regarding the Absolute Shield... I'm afraid that I really shouldn't add Zekken into the mix. I have characters right now that need my attention in order for me to develop them and get more comfortable using them. I have a long way to go in that respect which is why Yuuki, nor Leafa will be making any appearance in this fic. Sinon is pretty much the only character I have a spot for right now.**

 **If there are any other questions, or if you have advice, reviews are really appreciated. It would really help me out, and it constantly gives me resolve to keep going (not saying that I'm gonna stop anytime soon)**

 **Thanks for taking time to read my story.**


	7. Old Friends and New Prospects

**A/N**

 **I'm so sorry for uploading so late. I kinda got caught behind due to my vacationing and work schedule. But don't worry, I still plan on continuing this story. I've got the next few chapters planned out, and they will not take as long as this one did... hopefully. To those of you who are reading, thank you for your support; you encourage me to keep writing, and I couldn't thank you enough. But I will ask one thing: Please review, it is very helpful to me to know my strong points and weak points, such as the fact that I haven't really fleshed out my character descriptions. I will definitely improve in the following chapters...**

 **I don't own SAO...**

* * *

"That's the last one!" Lizbeth declared to no one in particular, placing her newly crafted sword gently into its corresponding case. She was currently in the back room of her new store on the seventh floor, arranging the weapons she had custom made into neat arrays suspended on the walls. After placing the last sword on its mount, Lizbeth stepped back to admire the entirety of the collection. There was no better way to end a day of hard work than to admire the pure beauty of her own making.

Lizbeth had been more than a little excited upon reaching the seventh floor. As far as the landscape, it pretty much mirrored the fourth floor in the respect that there were dense jungles making up most of the terrain. However, when you got into the actual city, you could easily tell that this floor would quickly become popular amongst players in the near future. The city of Engola was a city of many trades. Instead of the normal vendor carts lining the streets, many of the stores were indoors here. Many blacksmith NPCs, alchemist NPCs, and tailor NPCs, among other craftsmen, occupied the town of Engola, sporting more impressive items than the standard weapon and armor outfits that had been for sale on previous floors. Instead of the nameless steel blades that offered no sort of pleasure when buying, the selection on this floor was spectacular. Elegantly designed hilts wrapped in colorful, yet durable leather, acted like a red carpet leading to the sword's guard, twisted into stylish configurations that did nothing to hinder its effectiveness in combat. The actual blade of the swords crafted by these NPCs gleamed considerably more so than the "sticks," as Lizbeth would call them, being sold on earlier floors. If this wasn't a game, Lizbeth would have assumed that the blades were polished at least thrice a day with how bright they shined.

While the blades were certainly eye candy to Lizbeth, she knew that player blacksmiths could do much better than their NPC counterparts. The stats on the weapons sold by these vendors, while considerably better than the more primitive swords handed out on older floors, were still lacking in comparison to weapons dropped by monsters roaming the area. Sure, the weapons here were fancy and all, but Lizbeth wanted more than just the sword's appearance to resonate good quality. She believed that in being a blacksmith, she was not only crafting a weapon, but a part of another player. She took great pride in knowing that her hard work would help players survive and escape this death game, but she also knew that giving somebody a weak sword would cause their death, something she refused to allow. That's why she took her job very seriously; she was essentially trusted by her customers to give them something that would guide them through Aincrad, and she had to do her job well. There was no room for error in her profession.

Lizbeth's shop was stationed at the inner area of the city, surrounded by a few diners and stores and a safe distance away from any other weapon smiths. The store itself was comprised of three rooms; the first room was the customer lobby. It was neither the largest, nor smallest room in terms of size, easily encompassing the same amount of space as a modest studio apartment. A mixture of walnut and mahogany planks made up the floor, while white stone walls surrounded all sides of the room. A few chairs and a front desk were all to be seen in the main room, but Lizbeth doubted that she needed to have the most luxurious furnishings up front, despite her own desire for them. The second room of the shop was the storage room, the smallest room in the building. It held all of her swords and materials; while she could have kept some of the weapons in her inventory, she decided against it for the sake of realism, as well as organization. She needed to keep everything organized in a way so that she would be able to sort through the materials she would need in a collected manner, without having to scroll through her ever-expanding inventory. The final and largest room was the basement; its rounded cobblestone floor and grey stone walls did little to make the room seem inviting, but with a little touch of Lizbeth, it had been given flavor and life. Colorful tapestries hung from the walls while rugs blanketed the stone floor. A small bed lay at one corner of the room, while the forge for weapon crafting was at the opposite end.

Lizbeth never regretted her decision to move to the city of Angara. Since this town had higher quality items than other cities on lower floors, players would definitely be coming here often to get their share of equipment, and in turn, they would come to her shop. She'd already served at least fifty customers and received ten custom orders in the last two days, a big jump from her previous level of business.

Lizbeth exited her storage room, sparing one last glance towards her prized creations. They would be sure to serve their users well she thought. As she clasped her hand around the door knob, a bell chime made itself known with its faint reverberations against the sturdy wooden walls.

"Welcome to Lizbeth's Smith Shop!" Lizbeth exclaimed happily, purely on instinct. This greeting was etched into her brain, and made its way out of her mouth almost naturally.

"I'm sorry, but the shop is closed right now," Lizbeth said as she closed the door shut and turned around. Her eyes met with another pair of chestnut ones, the lamp light reflecting a tired gleam in its usually vibrant caramel colors. Lizbeth also detected something else in the expressive eyes before her, but it was fleeting and too hard to decipher.

"Hey Liz, sorry for dropping by so late. I don't know what came over me…" she trailed off, obviously at a loss for what to say next.

"Oh, don't worry Asuna. I was just finished closing the shop up, and I have nothing left to do anyway. Why don't we go downstairs and talk? You look a bit upset, but it's nothing I can't fix…" Lizbeth finished her sentence with her trademark rosy smile.

"Thanks Liz, but I really shouldn't have bothered you. I mean-" Asuna didn't have the time to finish her sentence before Lizbeth cut her off.

"Yep, it looks like it's an emergency. We're going downstairs, now!" After rapidly closing the distance between each other with expressive stomps, Lizbeth yanked Asuna's arm and forcefully dragged her down the stairs into the basement, although Asuna really wasn't putting up much of a resistance. As they reached the basement, Lizbeth walked Asuna over to her bed.

"You sit here," Lizbeth ordered simply. Asuna complied, and Lizbeth walked over to the forge at the other corner of the room and grabbed the chair, placing it about three feet from her bed.

"So, Asuna, what seems to be the problem? It isn't about a boy, is it?" Lizbeth asked this with a slight smirk on her face. She loved teasing Asuna, but there was a method to her madness; hopefully, it would cause her best friend to lighten up just a bit before getting to the root of her problem. But then again, who knows; it really could've been boy trouble that Asuna was having.

"I-It's nothing like that! Why would y-you think that I was…" Asuna couldn't form any more words, making Lizbeth wonder just what kind of lifestyle she lived in the real world. She obviously didn't have much experience with boys, judging by her speechless state and the feverish blush on her cheeks… but then again, Lizbeth didn't either. But judging by the embarrassment, there definitely could've been something she was hiding, but right now wasn't the time to find out.

"Oh come on, Asuna! I was just joking, you really should be used to that by now! What's really bothering you?" Asuna's face slowly regained its natural milky complexion and her expression became more sober.

"Lizbeth, I want you to be honest with me… What do you think about our guild… about Radiant Horizon?" Lizbeth was puzzled as to what would elicit such a question. Sure, the guild hadn't really gotten any members, but then again, it would take more time for such a small guild to gain members, even with Argo's mad skills on their side. But then, how had Heathcliff and Thinker accomplished it so easily? She shook the question from her mind, realizing that her best friend was probably beating herself up about the guild's problems… whatever those were.

"You shouldn't worry so much about the guild Asuna. It'll take time for us to grow and get stronger. It's nothing for you to blame yourself about."

"I feel that I haven't been making an effort to tie the guild together, like a good leader should. You've had to have noticed that…"

"Asuna, you're doing fine. Things will come around eventually if you keep working at it!" Lizbeth's optimistic response didn't have any visible effect on Asuna, who at the moment seemed like she had more on her mind.

"I guess, but-" Lizbeth, for the second time today, cut Asuna off before she could finish.

"But nothing! You're doing your best! Nobody expects a sixteen year old girl to go from living a normal life to becoming an amazing leader in just a few months. And besides Asuna, the people love you! You are one of the leading clearers on the frontlines, and the fastest one at that. People look up to you, and that says something! You shouldn't start having doubts about yourself now, not when you're making such good progress."

"Liz," Asuna started in a firm, yet oddly quiet tone, "I was… naïve."

"Huh" Liz had no idea where that had come from. What would make Asuna naïve? She was ferocious in battle and never underestimated her opponents. She took things seriously and knew about many of the dangers that this world had to offer; being a frontliner clearly attested to that. So why did Asuna think she was naïve?

"When I made this guild… no, when I first thought of starting a guild, I didn't think about it at first. I didn't have a plan, only a desire. I was so set on starting a guild that I ended up acting on it too quickly Liz, without even thinking about how to run it, or what we would do, or anything. I was stupid for coming up with an undercooked idea like this! I should have taken time and not rushed into this! But since I did, the little guild members I have are barely around, save for Julia, and even she only stays so long. We've barely bonded since we've gotten to know each other! I can't believe I was dumb enough to expect that these connections just automatically came with the title of 'guild!'"

"Asuna, listen. Maybe you didn't think the guild through, but you still made it work. I know I can't contribute much by just being a blacksmith, but I know that Julia and Kaname are doing some good by participating in boss battles, and haven't you three collected at least a quarter of the map data for all boss lairs up until now. You've done much more than even most of the top guilds have! This is what your guild has accomplished, what you have accomplished!"

"Even if that's true, look at Heathcliff's and Thinker's guilds. They're getting more and more members by the day, while we're sitting at only four members in total. I used to feel so bad about that, but when I see the KoB or the ALF, all I can see is a group of people, like us. I doubt they even know each other, or take the time to get to know each other. I wager that Heathcliff couldn't even keep up with that many members in his guild. I had always pictured my guild as being a family that would look out for each other, but right now I'm doing a terrible job at getting to know my family, and having us learn about each other." During the duration of Asuna's reasoning, her hands had gone from limp on her knees to clenched fists, highlighting the whites of her knuckles.

"Asuna," Lizbeth said in a calm voice, "you'd be a great leader. I've seen how inspiring you are to others. Julia joined the guild because she admired you, don't you remember. You know she's been trying her best for the guild, for all of us. You said it yourself that she saved Kaname a couple of floors back. And speaking of Kaname, even if he acts like a tough guy, he's still in the guild, which is something all in itself."

"Liz…" Asuna's tone took a quiet one, but there was a sliver of something in her voice, something haunting. Her hands loosened themselves and she let them fall back on the bed, propping herself up, before continuing.

"When Kaname was about to get crushed by the fifth floor boss, I was powerless. I thought he was going to die, and he probably would have if Julia didn't protect him. They almost died again if it wasn't for Heathcliff's quick thinking. Julia had saved Kaname's life; Kaname had carried Julia away from the fight when she was about to die, and Heathcliff had sacrificed his shield to ensure their safety. Do you know what the one thing I was thinking?" Lizbeth remained silent, urging her friend to continue.

"Even above the fear of losing my guild mates… all I could think about was how it should've been me. It should've been me who saved Kaname from the boss, me who carried Julia to safety, me who defended my team mates. I'm a useless guild leader, unable to take care of my allies. What's the point of being in a guild when it changes next to nothing about your circumstances? We're still practically solo players that gather every once in a while for some team activity! What's the point of being in a guild if its leader can't protect her own teammates? I should've been there for them when they needed me, but I was no help to them."

Lizbeth could only remain silent; she had no idea that Asuna had been harboring this guilt for as long as she had. She was grateful that she had come to spill it all today, hoping to ease the weight of her pain. But doing it was a whole different story. She didn't know what she could say to make her feel any better. Before she even had time to think, Asuna started again.

"It hurts me to say that I don't really know my own guild, other than you. And that's with only two other members. I was too fast in forming a guild. If only I had given it a little more thought Liz, then I might have been able to be a decent leader. But now, here we are; I don't even see Kaname and Julia much, aside from whenever I call them or boss raids. We should be sticking together, laughing together, growing together; we should trust each other and fight together, but my own naivety and foolishness has been hindering our guild."

Lizbeth couldn't help but sympathize with Asuna; their passions for what they both did were strong, and neither of the two wanted to make a mistake that could harm anybody. Lizbeth herself had these feelings on a daily basis. She wanted the swords she put her time and soul into to be worth it, to protect their users from harm. She was responsible for their lives in a sense, and she didn't want to fail them ever. Asuna hadn't failed yet, but she was obviously shaken by recent events, and that let doubt creep up in her.

"Ever since this death game started… I thought that my life was over. I thought that… this 'game' would eventually kill me, and that it was only a matter of time until it got its way. Then, I met a person who didn't think like that; he refused to let this game control him, refused to let it get in the way of his life, and refused to let it kill him. At least, that's what I always thought of him. He told me to join a group of people that I trust… that I'll be stronger in a group. I kept thinking about his words, and since that day I've never forgotten them. That's one reason I wanted to make a guild… so that I wouldn't have to be alone throughout the game. Loneliness was so painful, so I guess in a way, I also made this guild for other players besides myself as well. Now look at me; when I made this guild, it was a vow to do my hardest for everyone in this game… it was my motivation to keep going, knowing that people were relying on me. But Kaname and Julia can't trust me, not after I almost let them down before; I've been so lost, I don't know what to do. The guild was never a guild in the first place… I've been dreaming all this time, but now I've finally woke up. I just wasn't strong enough, in the end…"

Lizbeth watched her friend for quite some time. Asuna had a lot of responsibilities as leader of a guild, whether it had seemed like it in the past or not. Lizbeth would admit that she was a little disappointed in the guild as well, but as a weak sword could be mended and tempered to replace weakness with strength, Asuna could turn her situation around if she tried.

"Asuna, if you think you've failed as a leader, you're wrong. But the moment you quit the guild, you'll have failed the guild, and yourself. You can save the guild, but you have to start setting everything straight now. The sooner you start making changes to the guild, the sooner everything will get better. In fact, why not start tomorrow?"

"Where do I start?"

"Small. You start small. It's as simple as them tagging along with you to a dungeon or just joining them for dinner. I'm no expert on leading a guild, but I think that the guild should take a little relaxation time now and then. You guys are too concerned about clearing the game, and unfortunately that's trumping your social life. Go have fun, laugh a little; I mean, you have no sense of humor Asuna… that isn't a good thing. You need to relax, and I think that if you do that with them, it would be a good chance to get to know them better. Anyway, it's up to you…" Lizbeth yawned, though she had tried her hardest to hold it back. Asuna stood up and stretched her arms and legs, something she usually did after being idle for so long.

"Sorry to keep you up with my troubles, Liz… I should be leaving now; it's been a long day." Lizbeth stood up too, but before she had the chance to say anything, a pair of arms encircled around her and suddenly she was in a tight embrace.

"Thanks Liz…" Asuna whispered. Lizbeth's face became flushed from embarrassment, not used to Asuna's affectionate side.

"N-no p-problem…" she nervously chuckled.

"I think I know a place we could all go together; a dungeon I found on the eighth floor today. I guess I'll take your advice about starting small, and start with this dungeon; I'll start over again, I'll start this whole guild over." Asuna stepped back from Lizbeth and started walking toward the stairs.

"I'd like to come with, but I have weapon orders due for tomorrow. It'll be okay though; I'll try to close down the shop sometime this week," Lizbeth said, before climbing up the stairs after Asuna.

"That's alright… we'll have plenty more chances to go altogether!" Asuna exclaimed before yawning as well. Lizbeth looked down at Asuna's waist, noticing the rapier that was suspended there.

"Hmmm… Looks like your sword will be needing a tune up pretty soon, Asuna. You should probably think about getting a new one."

"Alright, Liz, I'll make sure to do something about it sometime. Well, goodnight Liz."

"Goodnight, Asuna!" That familiar chime made itself known as Asuna opened the lobby door and left the shop. Lizbeth took in the pure silence inside the shop. It wasn't often that such quiet could exist in a forge. She absorbed the peace, before making her way downstairs, equipping her pajamas, and collapsing into bed. As Asuna said, it had been a long day. Now, though, after seemingly leaving another satisfied customer, Lizbeth contentedly closed her eyes, and drifted off into a sound slumber.

* * *

 **January 23, 2023 Floor 8 09:00**

"Where are we going?" Kaname asked impatiently, a hint of annoyance in his voice. They had been walking for what seemed like forever, and Kaname was tired of receiving no hint as to their destination by Asuna. Julia, too, had accompanied them through the jungles of the eighth floor, also entrapped in Asuna's idea of a field trip.

"Oh come on Kaname, don't you trust me…" Asuna had started this comment off playfully, but by the end of it, her demeanor hadn't exactly mirrored her tone. Kaname noticed this slight change, and decided against pressing the topic anymore. Turning around, Kaname continued to lead the two girls through the forest; Asuna had reasoned that a man like himself should take the initiative to clear the path for ladies, but Kaname didn't buy it… After all, a person like Asuna was definitely more than capable of conquering Mother Nature, considering all of the boss fights she had came out of unscathed.

They had been walking the eighth floor's swampy terrain for a good hour and a half. The unfortunate time they were spending on this hunt for whatever was due to the constant surprise attacks by mobs shrouded in the safety of the murky waters that randomly occupied large chunks of the jungle, and the appalling overgrowth that seemingly left no space untouched. Kaname was lucky to have a dagger, as it became necessary to start cutting down shrouds of vines that blocked the imaginary path they were taking under the massive canopy built by the thousands of trees making up the temperate rainforest.

It was no surprise, then, that the main city on the eighth floor, Dorokan Settlement, was not a city at all; in fact, it was a large campsite, full of researcher and explorer NPCs, programmed in such a way that every interaction you made with them, or interactions made between them, would convey the NPC's genuine curiosity of the floor's contents. The clearers couldn't believe that this small campsite was the main city of the eighth floor, not even Kaname, until he saw _it_. It was when he had first made it to the Dorokan Settlement, and the sight of large, wheat colored tents filled his vision; upon closer inspection of the campsite, he noticed that there were no inns or shops in the settlement, which made sense, considering that this was just a campsite. But then, when he caught sight of the ancient arch, a mass of foreign symbols covering its brown, weathered surface, he had the urge to feel the crevasses and carvings that blemished its stone surface, which resulted in an aquamarine glow encompassing its faded exterior. That was the usual response when a player made contact with an inactive teleport gate, making this campsite, the main settlement of floor eight.

The dozens of NPCs occupying the Dorokan base camp were all wearing an archaeologist's garb, and they could always be found scouring the fields outside of their camp, looking for something that just wasn't there. This had always intrigued Kaname, who, like most of the other clearers, had never seen any value in this floor; yet, here the NPCs were, researching the least popular floor in Aincrad, eagerly studying the plant life and structures that occupied this floor.

And now, here they were, trekking through the humidity and flora of the eighth floor, in all of its nonexistent glory. Kaname briefly noted that Asuna seemed to know where they were headed, which was hard to believe, since so far there had been no sign of any changes to the environment except for the periodical monster encounters and the annoying shrubs that he was forced to cut down. Julia had said close to nothing the entire trip, which hadn't gone unnoticed by Kaname. He wondered why she was always so quiet, but it wasn't his place to start snooping; that was quite contrary to his profession as and information broker, but he was making an effort to be more sensitive to Julia's feelings, especially after her kind treatment towards him lately. Besides that, the infinite debt he owed her from saving his life always weighed down on his conscious.

"Oh man, it's so hot out here…" Kaname stated, before opening his menu and unequipping his trench coat, leaving him wearing his baggy brown pants and a plain white t-shirt, covered partly by a brown leather vest.

"Don't worry Kaname, it's just up ahead."

"Really… I don't see anything, Asuna," Kaname replied, sounding a bit more sarcastic than he wanted to. But, he was right; only a multitude of trees and greenery extended ahead of the group. Asuna paid no mind as she waved on Kaname to continue walking, which he begrudgingly humored. After a couple more minutes of chopping down overgrowth, Kaname spotted an ancient looking building sitting in the protection of a few trees and surrounded by the presence of grass run rampant. The building itself was tiny and seemed very unstable, as if it would collapse if breathed upon. The assumedly once cubic structure had noticeable chips off the corners, and it was partially covered with kudzu on its sides. Small chunks of rubble lay on the ground, the material of an indistinguishable origin. Facing them was an open entrance to the miniscule structure, a cloak of darkness hiding the contents within.

"Here we are!" Asuna exclaimed.

"Oh yippee!" Kaname chortled in mock delight. He was underwhelmed to say the least, and the filthy appearance of the ancient 'shack' was enough to send even the most adventurous of men turning their noses at the sight.

"Where are we?" Now that caught Kaname's attention. This was the first time Julia had spoken during the trip; then again, for all he knew, she was conversing with Asuna in her soft voice that perfectly masked the tempest within her, her fighting spirit. Asuna took her position in front of Kaname and walked towards the small structure, stopping by the entrance to the archaic structure.

"Well, I actually discovered this yesterday… after talking with a couple of NPCs from the Dorokan campsite. They told me that they had found some sort of ruins around this vicinity, so I checked it out… and this is what I found." In reality, Asuna also had a little help from Heathcliff in discovering the… whatever it was. The day before, while Asuna was grinding on the eighth floor, she saw Heathcliff with a troop of players wearing red tunics venturing through the floor, apparently having their own grinding session. He was ecstatic to see Asuna again, and they briefly chatted about the going-ons in Aincrad. It was actually he who suggested getting info from the locals, advice that seemed to be fruitful for now. But she would never admit the help to her guild… it didn't set right with Asuna to mention it.

"What's so special about this piece of garbage?" Kaname asked, eliciting a sharp glare from Asuna and a strange look from Julia. Asuna's glare disappeared with quickness though, as she started to walk into the ruins, the darkness inside making her less visible to her other two guild members.

"Come see for yourself…" Without missing a beat, Julia followed Asuna into the darkness, but not before urging Kaname to come along with a flexing of her index finger.

"Oh man, this is gonna be fun" he said in a dull tone, before following after the golden-haired warrior.

* * *

 **January 23, 2023 Floor 5 Welrock 10:00**

The Black Swordsman absolutely hated being in Welrock. It was not because of its regal atmosphere, nor was it because of the downpour of water that was causing his trademark black coat to stick uncomfortably to his sweaty skin. As the Black Swordsman walked down the smoothly trimmed pathway, structures of pure, milky marble were painfully jutting deep into his eye sockets. Kirito abhorred the bright color, far too flashy for his tastes. Unfortunately, due to Kirito's prime choice of color, or rather lack thereof, the Black Swordsman stuck out like a sore thumb. While Kirito did appreciate the architectural styling of Welrock, a little mix up in their color palette would have been nice; Kirito was no one to talk, though, being guilty of the same fault.

The work of a master artisan, skilled by decades of toil and resolve; the city of Welrock portrayed that at a much larger scale. Intricate designs lined the otherwise sanded walls of the structures of the grand city; profiles of lions, soldiers, rivers, each carved with such care and expertise, flawlessly relaying stories of adventure and heroics to such a degree of grandeur. The picturesque Grecian city, lying before Kirito's eyes in such a manner that the blind poet Homer could never express was truly a showcase floor in Aincrad.

As Kirito reached the busier part of town, the pure white palette that had made up most of the scenery around Welrock had shifted into a multitude of colors coming from the many merchant stalls lined up across the street, as well as the variety of clothing that the many residents and tourists of Welrock had adorned for the day. It was a bit surprising for Kirito to see such a number of people outside, considering that it had been raining for at least an hour. _Well, I guess it's not like we'll really get wet, but still._ Kirito took no time in looking at the many wares that littered the tables and countertops of the vendors' setups and quickly pinpointed his destination; an expansive booth that seemed to take up more than five times the space that the stuffy stalls lining the street did. Weaving around the collection of players traversing the street, Kirito came face to… shoulder with a tall man of African descent, wiping down the tables of his "shop."

"Hey, Agil!" Kirito called, shouting above the noisy din of the crowded streets. The older man turned around to face Kirito, before breaking out into a grin.

Agil's shop was one of the larger ones in town; covered by a large, navy blue canopy tent, Agil's wares were neatly displayed on rows of wooden tables placed to imitate isles in a grocery store. He sold weapons, armor, materials for crafting, food items, and potions. Kirito could imagine Agil running his own supermarket in the near future with the variety of items he sold. As far as his popularity went, Agil was somewhere in the middle. The items he sold were more suited for players about five to ten levels behind the front liners, and as such he didn't get the most business, stronger players opting to go hunt for rare equipment or purchase from a more accomplished vendor. That being said, Agil did still have some strong players that came to him from time to time, customers that he had helped in the past or ones that appreciated what he was doing. That was enough to fuel both his passion and business.

"Yo, Kirito! Come on in before you get soaked!" Kirito took the man's offer and stepped under the roof of the tent.

"What's up man? I haven't seen you in ages!" Agil was happy to see his old friend again. Although they weren't as close as he wanted to be, Agil still looked at Kirito as a good friend. Kirito was one of his less frequent regulars, mostly coming to his shop to sell items; the only other times he'd see him was during boss raids, which Agil had begun to attend less and less, thanks to his shortened training length. Running a business was his top priority, meaning that his time on the frontlines would have to be cut. Even so, Agil still retained a sense of familiarity with the young lad.

"Nothing much… I'm here to sell some of my items," Agil briefly frowned at Kirito, but quickly recovered his usual cheery expression.

"Always to the point, I see. Alright then, what do you have for me?" Kirito slid open his menu and opened up a trade menu with Agil. Kirito scrolled through his menu and started selecting various items; a few basic swords, a couple of nice shields, a surplus of material drops such as food, pelts and minerals used for crafting, and a couple of rare drops from the bosses he had encountered in the fields of the various floors he explored. Kirito then hit the trade button, and the items were then displayed in front of Agil, who stared wide-eyed at the volume of the list.

"Wow, man, this is amazing. The Onyx Basher; I've never heard of this shield before now, and the stats are above average for the frontlines. Blinding Vega; a curved sword that increases agility tremendously! The Glorious Bandit… it has a specialized ability in earning col from monsters. I'll make a killing off of this! Dude, how did you manage to collect all these items!?" Agil was stunned at how the young boy in black acquired such a selection of rare items. At the same time though, Agil took quiet pride in the fact that Kirito had came to _him_ to sell these items, which was out of his way considering that Kirito was always on the top floors training.

Kirito shrugged his shoulders before bringing up his right hand to the back of his neck, a regular gesture that, when given, was pretty much the only response you'd get from him. Agil was pretty sure Kirito was reclusive by nature, although in the past he had been a bit more social Agil himself and Klein. Kirito had been starving himself from social interaction for a while, by the looks of it. However, as Agil pondered on, he realized he looked stupid with a trade window out in front of him that he had yet to accept. As he scrutinized the trade window closely, he noticed that Kirito had sent the items in return for 0 col. Any other person would've capitalized on this fatal mistake in a heartbeat, but Agil would never do such a thing to any player.

"Hey, Kirito, you forgot to set an amount to trade for. Or do you want items in exchange for these? I'll be honest, though; I don't think much of my equipment would help you, since you already seem to have pretty good items."

"Actually Agil, I'd like to ask a favor in return for those items. You do have the [Appraisal Skill] don't you?"

"Well, yeah. What would you like me to look at?" A chunk of red stone materialized in Kirito's left hand, emitting a feint glow just noticeable due to the overcast sky above and the roof of the tent.

"It's called Exthros. Me and Klein got this from a dungeon on the second floor, and I was hoping that you could check the particulars of the ore. My Anneal Blade hasn't been keeping up so well with the past few floors, even with the upgrades I've made to it. I thought that it's about time to get a new sword, so I was hoping you could help me with finding out the ore's stats."

"Sure thing! Give me just one second. I've never really looked at ore before, so be patient with me." Agil took the red stone from Kirito's hand and activated his [Appraisal Skill], bring up a menu with a list of stat bonuses running in a column along the screen.

"Well Kirito, Exthros is a speed-type ore. It gives a small boost in strength, but the majority of its bonuses deal with speedy attacks, thanks to its low weight class. A pretty good find, if I do say so myself!"

"…I really don't need a light weapon. I prefer heavier weapons to light ones, since they have a greater damage output. I guess I'll keep the ore for a while, just in case I can't find a better sword. Thanks for the help Agil…" Kirito said, sending the ore back into his inventory. He was about to close the menu when he remembered a certain item he hadn't checked out yet. He scrolled through his inventory list until he found it.

 _Disciple of Lao's Pendent huh… "Gives the player the option to teleport to the House of Zheng Lao using a teleport crystal when equipped." Seriously… that's definitely strange. I didn't think an item like this would even exist. And why just for that house… what is this?!_

Kirito continued to rack his brains for answers he just couldn't formulate. _Why? Why would an item like this exist? Surely it must mean that whatever the quest I've stumbled upon is, it must be important… but I have no pending quests. I guess I'll find out tomorrow, when I go back._

"Thanks for the help, Agil…" Kirito said, turning away from the older man. Agil hated watching the boy leave; he should've been hanging out with his friends, having fun, anything but going off to die. He didn't know what it was that made this offer pop up in his head, but he acted on it.

"Come on man! You must at least have time for a drink or two before you go! At least have some breakfast with me!"

 _Huh, he really tries too hard for my sake… I guess I do need this though._ Kirito mustered up a small smile before turning around to Agil once again.

"I guess a drink or two couldn't hurt anything…"

* * *

 **January 3, 2023 10:00 Floor 8 [Krox Outpost]**

"You two at the bottom?" Kaname yelled.

"I really don't think this is a good idea, Kaname… What if you-" Julia was interrupted by a loud pummeling sound as Kaname landed just ten feet away from her.

"So, you were saying…" Kaname said with a cheeky grin. Julia internally sighed; she should have expected something like that from Kaname. He straightened out his white shirt, before taking a look around the dungeon they had entered, or in Kaname's case, leapt into.

The area they were in was of a surprising size, considering the close quarters they had been in just a few moments ago, before Asuna revealed a door in the ground and its accompanying ladder. Their descent into the structure below was slow, their destination being fifty feet below ground level. Julia took time took observe the new location they were in. With her back to the ladder, she could tell that this was designed as a hallway, with two different directions up ahead: left or right. The walls were made of grey stone and lighted by a strange lantern like ornament that hung about 20 feet apart on each wall, the eerie purple glow emitted by it painting this place ghostly, if nothing else.

"We'll need to be careful as long as we're in here; that means no more crazy stunts, Kaname…"

"I promise nothing," he replied almost playfully, a rather nice change to the grumpier Kaname, Julia thought. Kaname opened up a menu, and Julia heard his murmur.

"Krox Outpost, huh" he said to himself quietly. Julia had assumed that he had checked the map data they had now started for this place to find the name.

"Okay you two, stay close to me. Have your teleport crystals ready, and make sure you always have some potions at the forefront of your inventory." With that, Asuna took out her rapier and began making her way to the split path ahead.

"Tch, like we haven't done this before… geez." Julia heard Kaname's mumbling as he walked past her and followed Asuna. Julia decided that she might as well take the rear, although it made more sense for her to be nearer to the front. Reequipping her shield and sword, she followed Kaname at a near distance.

Asuna stuck near the right wall of the hallway, and once she reached the corner turning into one of the paths, she slowly peeked her head into the intersection, eyes peeled for any sign of danger. Noticing a lack of enemies in the surrounding vicinity, she cautiously turned the corner and continued down the new hall, tailed closely by Kaname and Julia. Asuna quickly haulted her movement when she saw five figures dive down from above, landing ten feet away from her group.

Five, four foot tall, lizard-men stood on their hind legs with a dagger in hands, their sharp pupils radiating slaughter for trespassing through their home. In an unknown language, the lizard-man at the front of the group hissed commands at his posse, before they all charged Asuna's group with lightning speed. Julia brought her shield up just in time to defend herself from the feeble, yet quick slashes of the lizard man, while her other two teammates were forced to separate from the unexpected agility of their enemies. It leapt around her at all angles, trying to pass the defense of its shielded foe, but to no avail. As the lizard swung its dagger once again, Julia pressed her shield forward, unbalancing the lizard's footing. She quickly pressed her advantage by jutting out from the side of her shield. Unfortunately, the lizard was quick and dodged despite its earlier lack of balance, managing to nick her sword arm with its blade.

Julia gritted her teeth in frustration; this was taking longer than it should have, but when a defense goes against agility, it is hard for either side to make any headway. With her slightly slower movement speed, Julia's attacks were proved futile by the lizard man, who was just fast enough to dodge her swings. The slight noise of splitting flesh graced her ears as she quickly noticed the newly arrived throwing pick drilled into the lizard man's temple. Reacting as fast as possible to this new development, Julia quickly brought her sword down on the lizard, shattering it into polygons. She looked in the direction that the throwing pick must have come from, and saw Kaname in a lively battle of agility against two other lizard men. It was a raging battle compared to hers; Kaname and the two lizards were near the left wall of the hallway, immersed in a battle of speed.

* * *

Kaname was internally thankful that the throwing pick he used did its job. Turning back to his own opponents, he was startled to see one of the two lizards making its way swiftly towards him, its dagger glowing a feint purple from the lamplight. Kaname quickly parried the lizard man's dagger with his own, eyeing the second lizard haphazardly, waiting for it to make its move. Kaname made a quick swipe with his dagger, resulting in the lizard he was currently engaged with to jump back a couple of feet. Before he could regain his bearings, he caught sight of the second lizard running around its companion… but the thing was, it was running on the wall. Kaname barely had time to block his opponent's attack as it leapt from its foothold on the wall to deliver a downwards strike from above. Kaname blocked the weak attack, and using his greater strength, pushed the airborne lizard off of him. A searing pain shot up his leg suddenly as a dagger, thrown by the other lizard, latched itself into his thigh, causing Kaname to fall against the floor.

Kaname lie flat on the ground, looking at the other two lizards hissing in victory. They both charge, eager to plunge their daggers into his abdomen. Kaname quickly rolled over, evading both attacks and jumped back onto his feet. Kaname rushed the two lizards and swung out his dagger, skimming the skin of only one of the two lizards. _So fast…_

Just as fast as they had moved away, the lizards came running back full force, their feet making soft patters against the cold stone floor of the halls. As they made it to the dagger-wielder, a familiar shield tore through one of the lizard's ribcages, before exiting through the other end, clanging against the wall a bouncing across the hall. Kaname's eyes widened, watching as one of the two lizards vanished in an explosion of pixels. Another second later, silver and gold filled Kaname's line of sight. _Julia…_ It was dazzling, how the color of her hair shined even in the dark and stuffy hall they were in. The silver of her armor gleamed in what little light it could receive from the lanterns on the wall, making her appearance and aura exert a quiet ferocity. She quickly took a defensive stance, raising her long sword in a firm, two-handed grip, awaiting the remaining enemy to begin its assault.

Kaname subtly took out a throwing pick, hoping that it would be as effective as the last one. As the final lizard dashed at Julia, Kaname started analyzing its movements, trying to predict any opening that it might create during its fight with Julia. Julia seemed to be struggling a bit without her shield, unable to accurately make contact with the impending blade each swing. Due to the sloppy blocks she was making, she started losing chips off her green health bar. It did seem, though, that she was moving faster than usual; Kaname thought that it was because she no longer carried the heavy shield, havng thrown it a while back. That gave Kaname an idea.

Kaname waited just a little longer to get an open shot on the lizard, and when he did, he gracefully threw his throwing pick, aimed exactly at the lizard's torso. The lizardman, although locked in a fight with a struggling Julia, managed to see the shining blue throwing pick hurling towards him, and leapt high into the air, dodging both the throwing pick, and a horizontal strike from Julia. Kaname had predicted this course of action, though, and knew that if the lizard went airborne, then it would be unable to dodge his second projectile: his own dagger. The dagger embedded itself in the lizard's chest, a shriek of utter torture escaping from its lips, before landing limply on the cold, stone floor. Julia quickly closed the space between herself and the fallen lizard and plunged her sword into its abdomen, exploding it into glowing polygons.

And then there was silence… Kaname looked up the hall to see Asuna watching from the far corner. He noticed the absence of her two foes, meaning that she had not only beaten them before he beat his own enemies, but to add on to that, she had done it by herself. Kaname could feel his heart clench as a bit of his pride as a fighter began to ache. _How can Asuna be that good… I've got to get better…_

Asuna continued to think over her two guildmates' respective fights. While Asuna herself was able to take down the two lizards with relative ease, her teammates were not. She noted that Julia was not as effective in combat without her shield, being unable to use her sword to its full extent. She was also lacking in speed, but Asuna decided that she could easily mend that problem. Kaname, on the other hand, had fought well with his dagger, but she noticed that he hadn't relied on simple hand-to-hand combat during the fight, which would have made attacking with a dagger a whole lot easier. Asuna had no idea what kind of training they were doing when they were alone, but it seemed that whatever it was, they weren't being pushed enough.

Julia started walking over to where Asuna was, and Kaname slowly trailed behind, thinking of his apparent weakness in the battle. After all, if Asuna could do it, then he should be able to do it as well. Before he could sink any further into his depressing thoughts, a dull glimmer from the other end of the room managed to catch his eye. Recognizing the circular object lying on the ground, Kaname jogged quickly towards it. As he lifted it, the heavy weight suggested its amazing defense potential, despite the reading on its durability, which Kaname now guessed was at a quarter of its total. He jogged backed to the group, namely the golden-haired girl, before holding out the silver shield to her.

"Excuse me, but I think you dropped something," he smirked. At that, Julia giggled before taking her prized shield from him and strapping it to her back.

"Why thank you, kind sir…" she finished her thanks with a mock curtsy, before laughing again. Kaname just grinned back at her, before turning to Asuna.

Asuna was wearing a small smile on her face. She was surprised to see that sort of interaction between the quiet paladin and the arrogant ruffian. _That's odd. Oh well, at least they're lightening up_.

* * *

"Julia, I need five seconds!" Kaname yelled out to his partner. Julia, Asuna, and he were fighting a [Tyrant Lizard], a ten-foot tall cross between human and reptile. Its purple scales went hand in hand with the lighting in the hall. The violet scales were highlighted even more so by its golden helmet and golden plate armor, which only covered its chest, making its defense capabilities virtually useless against the monster's much shorter enemies. The black slits in its eyes, surrounded by a venomous see of green, stared down at the silent shield below it, raising its mace overhead to crush its opponent. Julia, however, merely tightened her hold on the shield, hoping that her defense would survive the attack.

They had been in the dungeon for about half an hour now, exploring the dark labyrinth with the constant hope of rewards at the end of it all. All they got, however, were multiple surprise attacks by the reptilian mobs that occupied the otherwise abandoned stone halls. The mobs mainly consisted of the dagger-wielding lizards, called [Gale Salamander], and some [Basic Iguana Soldiers], who simply wielded swords and shields. The [Gale Salamanders] were fought of systematically ever since the group's first encounter with the mob, while the [Basic Iguana Soldiers] presented almost no problem at all. All of this fighting wasn't for naught, though, as Julia had leveled up once since she had arrived, with Kaname on the brink of his as well. After silently creeping through the cold, damp corridors of the dungeon, they came upon this behemoth, the [Tyrant Lizard], guarding a doorway just ahead of the trio.

Asuna was darting around the monster, trying to deal as much damage to it as she could. She was too fast for it to follow, meaning that she was safe from any attacks that it may try to throw her way. However, thanks to her choice of weapon, and her complimenting stats, Asuna could barely put in any damage to the lizard, its strong scales proving too much for her rapier to pierce through. She shuddered as she looked at her guildmates' health bars. She had the highest with seventy percent of her health still in check, while Kaname and Julia were both in the fifties. As for the beast itself, it was at about eighty-five percent of its total health, and going strong.

Kaname had backed away behind Julia's shield, preparing to activate a sword skill he had recently learned. Dagger users had the largest range of sword skills, due to the several grips that could be implemented with a dagger. This fascinated Kaname to no end, as whenever he trained with his blade, he would mix up his style with the various grips the system recognized. He was so into studying the different techniques for fighting with this versatile weapon. The sword skill he was about to activate focused on the grip he was most familiar with. As a dagger user himself, Kaname was aware that in order to activate high-leveled sword skills, he'd have to complete a series of complicated motions for the system to recognize the skill; he'd been practicing this basic sword skill for a while, learning the motions needed in order to set it off. He placed his dagger back in its scabbard, which was situated firmly on his hip. Before he could perform the next motions, his concentration was shattered as a loud banging resounded from five feet in front of him. Julia's boots shrieked as they slid in painful friction against the ground, the blow struck by the lizard forcing her back against Kaname. With newfound urgency, Kaname redrew the dagger, holding it in a reverse grip, the blade's edge facing him. Then, with one fluid motion, he flicked the blade up in the traditional position, the hammer grip. He pulled back his weapon, and it burst to life as it wrapped itself in a vibrant, ecstatic red color as he activated his sword skill, **[Feral Cyclone]**.

Kaname dashed forward past Julia, jumping at the [Tyrant Lizard] so that the dagger the furious dagger created red sparks as it slid across the beast's armor, moving downward. Kaname put in as much force as he could with his weapon, which was immediately rewarded when his dagger forcefully plunged itself into the depths of raw flesh underneath the lizard's strong scales, a high pitched squeal coming from the beast's mouth. He could feel the system assist guiding his wrist as the dagger suddenly came to a halt, and quickly shot up diagonally towards the lizard's left shoulder. His dagger continued to move in erratic motions, constantly switching directions through the [Tyrant Lizard]'s body with seemingly no effort. What most would've said was crimson blood flung from the lizard's acquired wounds was really the scarlet-bathed dagger leaving a trail of fury behind each movement. The reptilian's health dropped twenty percent, leaving it at sixty five percent of its total health.

The monster had no time to retaliate, for as soon as the glow of Kaname's sword skill had vanished, Julia charged in, unbalancing the lizard with a powerful thrust of her shield. Julia quickly pressed on, once again ramming her shield into the lizard's body, successfully sending it tumbling to the ground. Kaname was surprised that the ten foot beast would fall so easily against a girl little over half the creature's size, but that just goes to show that in RPGs, size is no longer a factor with stats.

Asuna took advantage of her toppled foe by piercing through the lizard's eyes with her rapier in foreign downward plunges. Another screech of pure agony echoed through the halls, to be heard by none other than its predators. Kaname quickly rushed towards the [Tyrant Lizard]'s neck, cleaving open the more delicate scales that were once unreachable due to its immense height. Julia, too, was contributing to the effort, embedding her sword into the reptile's chest. Both Kaname and Asuna were too busy to notice the girl's sapphire eyes go wide for an instant, but only for an instant as the [Tyrant Lizard] shattered into virtual dust.

* * *

 **January 3, 2023 1:00 Floor 8 [Krox Outpost]**

"Well… off all the items I've ever found… this one takes the cake!" Kaname joked, holding up a piece of paper with what looked to be a crudely drawn map, ink smears blotting through the exceptionally thick parchment.

The trio had entered the room the [Tyrant Lizard] was guarding. Rugs lay out on the ground with a stone slab in the middle imitating a poor table; this set up encompassed one half of the spacious room. The lights in this room were a vibrant orange, but the vacancy of the room suggested that it had been abandoned years ago. The only thing that had indicated a sign of life in this room was the primitive cartography etched onto the thick papyrus.

"I thought there would be more to it than this…" Asuna said disappointedly.

"Well, what would you expect from some abandoned outpost in the middle of nowhere. And this map doesn't even look vaguely close to the layout of this place!"

"Hey… at least we gained some levels, right…" Julia said with a faint smile. Kaname sighed soon after.

"Yeah, I guess you're right…" Julia's smile widened a bit more at Kaname's response, but she couldn't quite manage to truly feel happy. Something was obviously bothering the poor girl, but like all of her negative feelings, she bottled them up inside, never to see the light of day if she could help it.

Asuna was still upset at the lack of anything special within the dungeon-like area they had explored, but if her guild mates could get over it, then so could she. Besides, they got plenty of decent drops from the mobs they had taken down, and enough material to perhaps upgrade to some better attire. Maybe it wasn't such a bad trip after all…

"So… what do you want to do with the map, Asuna?" Kaname had no real interest in the 'useless' map; if anything, it was the object of his hatred as of now, forcing his guild mates to wander through the sizable dungeon just for a slip of paper.

"I'm not sure… well, we do owe Argo some map data, and I'm sure she'd appreciate this as her payment. We have been coming up short on our end of the deal lately, _haven't we Kaname…?_ "

"Hey, why are you saying this like it's my fault!"

"Well, you were the one in charge of dealing with Argo… Couldn't you have made the deal a bit easier for us!?"

"SHE"S ARGO FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!" Kaname put a hand on his forehead , sliding it down as he applied pressure to the bridge of his nose. His last words were practically cried out in disbelief. Did she really expect him to be able to haggle with Argo!?

' _Take it as a compliment'_ he thought.

Asuna laughed at Kaname's helplessness; it was rare to ever see the boy riled up as much as he was now. Kaname grumbled as he opened his menu, the paper dematerializing from his hand as he a few things into his window, before closing it abruptly.

"There, she has the map data. Happy," Kaname drawled.

"Very."

"So, what's next…" Julia asked. Asuna expression immediately changed to one of complete and utter seriousness.

"Guys, we need to talk about… the guild…"

* * *

 **January 23, 2023 19:00 Floor 9**

What was supposed to be a quick drink had turned into something entirely different. As soon as Kirito and Agil had finished to heaping portions of Wolf Steak Omelets, the older man had insisted that he tag along with Kirito for grinding today, under the guise that he was "losing his skill". At first, Kirito was reluctant to let the man join him, as he found much more serenity by himself; to top that off, he didn't really know Agil that well. But, Kirito didn't realize that the man called for backup; in a matter of minutes, Klein had appeared in the town of Welrock, with the rest of the Furinkazaan in tow. That's when Kirito knew he was beat.

To say that the training had been terrible was definitely a lie to Kirito. In fact, he couldn't help but notice how having the group of friends with him had lighten up his usual mood drastically. Having the two competitive older men around him made the trip that much more pleasurable as they threw words around and made contests, with a constant count of, "Who killed more [Lesser Serpents]?" All in all, today had been a much brighter day than usual, but Kirito didn't mind one bit. After they had said their goodbyes, Kirito was left to think all to himself as usual… not that Kirito didn't appreciate this kind of time. He had some strange… event going on with some so called "Martial Arts Master," which puzzled him to no foreseeable end. He also needed to find a new weapon, as his was becoming less efficient in killing monsters lately.

Kirito walked silently through the ninth floor's forest, the sunset illuminating his path back to town. His guard immediately came up when he heard a familiar rustling in one of the trees. He put his hand on the hilt of his sword, preparing for whatever could happen next, while at the same time contemplating the nostalgic feeling creeping up on him. That's when he heard it; three knocks, spaced apart at precisely even intervals. His hand moved away from his sword.

"Oh no…" he muttered darkly.

"Oh yes!" A cloaked figure leapt down from the tree branches above and knocked Kirito on his back. A pair of arms encircled around his back and soft hair tickled his neck.

"I've been looking everywhere for you, Ki-bou!" Argo chirped delightfully into his chest, "It's been too long since we've been able to snuggle like this! I'm surprised you still remember the signal…"

"I should've seen this coming…" Kirito sighed, before slowly getting back on his feet, a happy Argo rising with him. Her legs were wrapped around him, refusing to allow any distance between the old friends. Her hood now hung down, giving him a full look at her dirty blonde hair and slightly tanned skin.

"Um... Argo… if you don't mind getting off now…" Kirito was having a hard to at keeping a calm demeanor, but as it was in the beta, Argo could easily peel of his defenses systematically.

"Hmph… So much for affection then, right Mr. Beater? Only a message about one boss fight in three months… for shame! We were inseparable during the beta, if you'll remember." Argo's eyes sparkled with the memories from times long past, before Kirito ruined the mood.

"Whatever, Argo. I know you rarely make house calls; what is it I can do for you?"

" Awww… I love you too, Ki-bou." Kirito's faces reddened slightly, before watching Argo materialize a slip of paper into her hands.

"It's been forever since we've teamed up, Ki-bou. I really do miss the old days; The Black Swordsman and The Rat, conquering floor after floor-"

"Actually, you weren't all that helpful… _If you'll remember_ , one look at the wolves on the third floor, and you disappeared, leaving me all alone." Argo blushed in embarrassment; it was true, to a degree.

"You should be more grateful Ki-bou," she started smugly, "if it weren't for me, you wouldn't know how to wield a sword like you do now."

"I'm sure I would've figured out the mechanics… eventually…" Kirito trailed off.

"Sure… Well then, since you're so impatient, I guess I'll get straight to the point… This was sent to me earlier by my 'unaccomplished student' who couldn't see the value in it… Idiot…" Argo showed Kirito the clumsy-looking map; it was a mess of crooked lines with only a bare minimum of markings on it. The ink became thicker and thinner on the page in random intervals, indicating the lack of skill and patience that hadn't existed during the map's making.

"Wow Argo! Your drawing skills have definitely gotten better." Kirito received a kick to the shin before muttering something along the lines of, "I deserved that…"

"In all seriousness, Argo, I can't really see anything so amazing about this either… it's basically just a primitive version of map data."

"Oh, but here's the catch; this map data does not correspond with any of our currently mapped dungeons, meaning…" Argo paused, waiting for Kirito to catch on.

"Meaning that this could be a future dungeon… or maybe something else entirely?" Kirito said, unsure of himself.

"Right on the dot, Ki-bou. See, this is why I like you so much!"

"But what's so special about this map data… it doesn't really indicate anything important, just rooms." Kirito knew Argo was amazing at her business, and in cases such as these, she normally wasn't wrong. But, he did have his own doubts, after all.

"In a game such as this, everything exists for a reason. The map came from a dungeon called [Krox Outpost]. That hints at something major, you know. The outpost part of its name leaves to reason that there might be a main force existing at another location, with perhaps a bigger fortress to explore; right now, though, no such place has been found, but I wouldn't put it past a genius like Kayaba to have hidden it on another floor." Argo really had put a lot of thought into this, and Kirito had noticed it. This intrigued the info broker immensely for some odd reason; it was even weirder for her to come to him about it.

"Well, I see what you're saying, but what do you want to do?" Kirito asked.

"I'm glad you asked, Ki-bou! I've been pretty busy trying to live up to my title as well as keep my level near the frontliner status. I haven't really had the time to explore Aincrad as much as I've wanted. And, I haven't been spending as much time with my most favorite customer. I say we take on the place when we find it, just like old times!"

In absolute honesty, Kirito had always enjoyed Argo's company during the beta. Not only was her personality radiating a contagious cheerfulness, but her actual prowess in combat had saved his life on many occasions; all in all, Kirito kind of looked forward to teaming up with The Rat once more.

Kirito heaved a sigh. "Message me when you find it, and I'll be there, okay."

"I knew you couldn't resist a good, swashbuckling adventure, Ki-bou. I just know we're going to have so much fun!" Argo jumped at Kirito again, wrapping her arms around him once more.

"Yeah… I can't wait either," Kirito said, his voice laced with genuine feeling, rather than sarcasm. Argo quickly broke the hug, before putting her hood up and giving Kirito a toothy smile.

"Well, I'll be seeing ya, Ki-bou. Got places to go, people to see: the usual stuff. I'm really glad I found you today, Ki-bou… Take care." Argo finished softly, before running off out of side. Kirito grinned.

 _Don't keep me waiting Argo… I've missed you too, old friend…_

* * *

 **A/N**

 **I wasn't totally happy with this chapter, but I'll be sure to do better on the next ones. Argo is going to be a main character in my story, and I plan on making her, as well as a few surprise guests, very significant to the plot. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this horrendously long chapter. Please review, or even flame... I'd rather get advice early on in my story so that the majority of the chapters can become better in the future. Once again, thanks for your support, and see ya next chapter!**


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